Large Magellanic Cloud and Tarantula Nebula

The Large Magellanic Cloud photographed from the equator in the Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. In the foreground of this telephoto view is an acacia tree. The dwarf satellite galaxy is one of the Milky Way’s satellite about 160,000 light-years away. The prominent patch just left of center is 30 Doradus, also known as the magnificent Tarantula Nebula, is a giant star-forming region about 1,000 light-years across. Click on the second photo to see a slightly wider angle view of the tree and the galaxy