30 Doradus Across the Spectrum

30 Doradus is lit up like a Christmas tree. Shining in light across the electromagnetic spectrum , 30 Doradus glows because of all the energetic processes that go on there. A distinctive region visible in a Milky Way satellite galaxy called the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), 30 Doradus is a hotbed of star formation , supernova explosions , and ionized plasma . The above image is a composite of three pictures taken in three different wavelength bands of light. Red represents X-ray emission created by gas as hot as 1 million degrees Kelvin . Green represents emission from ionized hydrogen gas , and blue represents ultraviolet radiation primarily emitted by hot stars. At the conclusion of this symphony of star formation and light in a few million years, astronomers expect that a new globular cluster will have formed.