The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is located approximately 160,000 light years away from Earth, and is the third closest galaxy to the Milky Way. The LMC is an irregular galaxy, and is also a satellite galaxy of the Milly Way. Contained within the LMC are several gas clouds, the most spectacular one of which is named LHA 120-N 11, or N11 for short. The N11 gas cloud is over 1,000 light years across. Recently the Hubble telescope imaged this cloud.
A spectacular new NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image — one of the largest ever released of a star-forming region — highlights N11, part of a complex network of gas clouds and star clusters within our neighbouring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud. This region of energetic star formation is one of the most active in the nearby Universe.
via Hubble captures bubbles and baby stars | Press Releases | spacetelescope.org.
