30 Doradus is the most massive star-forming region in the local universe. Also know as the Tarantula Nebula, it is a huge emission nebula located in the Large Magellanic Cloud. 30 Doradus is about 1,000 light years across, and about 170,000 light years away in the southern constellation Dorado. Infrared observations of 30 Doradus can give us a better view of the star-forming regions within this nebula because infrared light can penetrate the dense clouds of dust which surround newly formed stars.
This image from the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) was taken at 8.28 µm. and covers about 1.5 x 1.5 degrees in the sky.
Credit: MSX/IPAC/NASA