Infrared/visible comparison of the VISTA Tarantula Nebula image

The left-hand panel shows the region around the TarantulaNebula in visible light. Most of the light from the spectacular clouds comes from hydrogen gas glowing under the fierce ultraviolet glare from the central hot young stars. This visible light image was obtained with Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile.

On the right VISTA’s new infrared view is shown. By observing in infrared light a subtly different view of the nebula is revealed. As the infrared wavelengths can pass through the obscuring clouds of interstellar dust more easily than visible light, the VISTA image reveals the stars at the centres of the nebulae more clearly.