The View from La Silla

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

N44. This bright, complex nebulae in the LMC is well-studied, but this image, showing its distribution of ionized hydrogen (among other things), offers new puzzles: Annie Laval of the Marseille Observatory notes that the gas patterns may speak of internal movements in dust clouds or of several distinct gas layers.

N44 UPCLOSE. The central region of this star system seen here is marked by a large, ring-shaped collection of luminous stars that emit x-rays. Astronomers interpret these x-ray emissions as evidence that heavy stars in the area have gone supernova in the last few million years.

N119. This large nebula, spanning 400 by 600 light years, lies or the northern side of the LMC's stellar bar, near the center of rotation of neutral hydrogen in the galaxy. The high number of stars in the lower half of the image result from the neighboring stellar bar.

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

NGC 1916. This compact star cluster--housing a variety of star colors--appears in the bottom and center of N119, the only spiral nebula in the LMC. Researchers guess that N119 has an odd shape and peculiar gas flow because of a collision between two interstellar clouds.

Images: European Southern Observatory

Back to North versus South

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American