RMC 136
This near-infrared image obtained with GeMS adaptive optics system resolves the stars inside RMC 136, a giant star cluster within the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The cluster produces most of the energy that energizes the Tarantula Nebula. The estimated mass of the cluster is about half a million times the mass of the sun, suggesting it will probably become a globular cluster in the future.
| Observatory: | Gemini Observatory (South) Cerro Pachon, Chile |
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| Telescope: | Gemini South |
| Instrument: | GMOS-S |
| Astronomer: | Gemini Observatory, Robert Blum (National Optical Astronomy Observatory) and T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage) |
| Date of Observation: | 02-20-2013 |
| Filters and Assigned Colors: | J (blue), H (green) and Ks (red) |
| Exposure Times: | 10x2min in each filter |
| Location of Image: | Doradus |
| Field of View: | 1.5 x 1.5 arcmin |
| Orientation: | North is up, East is left |
| Link to Larger Image | |
| Link to Full Resolution Image | |
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