NGC 2080, also known as the Ghost Head Nebula, lies in the Large Magellanic Cloud in the constellation Dorado. This vibrant emission nebula is a stellar nursery shaped by powerful radiation from massive young stars. At the heart of the nebula, two bright stellar cores carve out the surrounding gas and dust, giving the nebula its ghostly appearance.
This SHO image with RGB stars reveals not only the complex structure of NGC 2080, but also a host of nearby star-forming regions and clusters.
Above the main nebula lie NGC 2077 and NGC 2084—both smaller emission nebulae connected by glowing filaments. Fainter still is NGC 2083, a loose open cluster nestled in the surrounding gas. To the lower right, additional HII regions such as LHA 120-N 191 and N 193 emerge through intricate ribbons of ionized gas and dark dust.
The field is rich with delicate wisps of hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen emissions, tracing the dynamic forces at work in this region of the LMC—an active cradle of star birth located roughly 168,000 light-years away.
Imaged in SHO RGB on my Planewave CDK 700 at Observatorio El Sauce, Chile.
Image acquisition and processing: Mike Selby