Ghost Head Nebula

The Ghost Head Nebula (NGC 2080) is a star-forming region and emission nebula to the south of the 30 Doradus (Tarantula) nebula. It belongs to the Large Magellanic Cloud, which is at a distance of 168,000 light years. The Ghost Head Nebula has a diameter of 50 light-years and is named for the two distinct white patches it possesses, called the "eyes of the ghost". The western patch has a bubble in the center which was created by the young, massive star it contains. The eastern patch has several young stars in a newly formed cluster. These stars together have begun to create a bubble in the nebula with their outpourings of material, called stellar wind.

The presence of stars also greatly influences the color of the nebula. The western portion of the nebula has a dominant oxygen emission line because of a powerful star on the nebula's outskirts; this colors it green. The rest of the nebula's outskirts have a red hue due to the ionization of hydrogen. Because both hydrogen and oxygen are ionized in the central region, which appears pale yellow; when hydrogen is energized enough to emit a second wavelength of light, it appears blue, as in the area surrounding Azordon and Vierg.

Objects in the Nebula

• NGC 2086 star cluster