RocketSTEM Issue #11 - April 2015 | Page 90

Turquoise-tinted plumes 46. The brightly glowing plumes seen in this image are reminiscent of an underwater scene, with turquoise-tinted currents and nebulous strands reaching out into the surroundings. However, this is no ocean. This image actually shows part of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a small nearby galaxy that orbits our galaxy and appears as a blurred blob in our skies. Hubble has peeked many times into this galaxy, releasing stunning images of the whirling clouds of gas and sparkling stars. This image shows part of the Tarantula Nebula’s outskirts. This famously beautiful nebula, located within the LMC, is