2019/11/05 by P. A. Crowther, Crowther, Paul · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1911.02047
A review of the properties of the Tarantula Nebula (30 Doradus) in the Large\nMagellanic Cloud is presented, primarily from the perspective of its massive\nstar content. The proximity of the Tarantula and its accessibility to X-ray\nthrough radio observations permit it to serve as a Rosetta Stone amongst\nextragalactic supergiant HII regions since one can consider both its integrated\ncharacteristics and the individual properties of individual massive stars.\nRecent surveys of its high mass stellar content, notably the VLT FLAMES\nTarantula Survey (VFTS), are reviewed, together with VLT/MUSE observations of\nthe central ionizing region NGC 2070 and HST/STIS spectroscopy of the young\ndense cluster R136, provide a near complete Hertzsprung-Russell diagram of the\nregion, and cumulative ionizing output. Several high mass binaries are\nhighlighted, some of which have been identified from a recent X-ray survey.\nBrief comparisons with the stellar content of giant HII regions in the Milky\nWay (NGC 3372) and Small Magellanic Cloud (NGC 346) are also made, together\nwith Green Pea galaxies and star forming knots in high-z galaxies. Finally, the\nprospect of studying massive stars in metal poor galaxies is evaluated.\n