Whats the largest known nebula?
The largest known nebula (cloud of gas and dust) is the Tarantula Nebula, named for its shape. More than 1000 light years across, it is one hundred times larger than the famous Orion Nebula. The Tarantula Nebula is about 165,000 light years from Earth, in a small, nearby galaxy called the Large Magellanic Cloud. It’s the only extra-galactic (outside of our galaxy) nebula that can be seen without a telescope. If it were as close as the Orion Nebula (about 1500 light years) it would be as wide as 60 full moons, and bright enough to cast shadows. Nebulas like the Tarantula are the birthplaces of new stars, which collapse at the center of swirling whirlpools. Our solar system was probably born within such a nebula.
