The Tarantula Nebula, NGC 2070, is a large H II region in the Large Magellanic Cloud. It lies at the eastern end of the LMC's stellar bar.
Also known as 30 Doradus, NGC 2070 was originally thought to be a star, but in 1751 Nicolas Louis de Lacaille recognized its nebular nature. The name "Tarantula" is most commonly used for this object, but the names "Great Looped Nebula" and "True Lovers' Knot" are also used; "Looped Nebula" goes back to John Herschel.
NGC 2070 is the largest and brightest emission nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), and one of the largest emission nebulae known. The Tarantula Nebula has an apparent magnitude of 8. Considering its distance of about 160,000 light years, it is so bright that if it were as close to Earth as the Orion Nebula, the Tarantula Nebula would cast shadows.
The nebula resides on the leading edge of the Large Magellanic Cloud, where the compression of the interstellar medium likely results in a very active star formation region. In fact, it is the most active starburst region known in the Local Group of galaxies. Although the Tarantula is roughly 100 times larger than the famous Orion Nebula, it is illuminated in the same way: by the ultraviolet radiation from a collection of hot, young, massive stars embedded within it. Several OB associations have been observed inside the Tarantula. At its core lies the extremely compact cluster of stars R136a, which is a hotbed of Wolf-Rayet stars, and produces most of the energy that makes the nebula visible.
Supernova 1987A occurred in the outskirts of the Tarantula Nebula. This was the closest supernova since the invention of the telescope - and a harbinger of what lies in store for many of the Nebula's stars.