How did this unusually large nebula form? One of the largest nebulas yet detected is actually a complex ring of emission nebulas connected by glowing filaments. The unusual network , known as N11, spans over 1000 light years and is a prominent structure of the Large Magellanic Cloud , the largest satellite galaxy of our Milky Way Galaxy . In the center of the above image is open star cluster LH9, also known as NGC 1760, composed of about 50 bright blue stars that emit radiation that has eroded a hole in their surroundings. A leading hypothesis for the formation of N11 is shells of successive generations of stars being formed further out from the center. The bright region just above center is N11B , an explosive domain where stars are being formed even today.
6 October 2004
N11: A Giant Ring of Emission Nebulas
