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.