Article Posted on : - Jun 23, 2010

Hubble view of the huge star formation region N11 in the Large Magellanic Cloud. An ESA/Hubble Photo

PARIS (BNS): The Hubble Space Telescope has zoomed in on a vigorous star forming region in a nearby galaxy, providing valuable inputs to astronomers about star birth and growth in the massive stellar nursery.

The LHA 120-N 11, informally known as N11, is part of a complex network of gas clouds and clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud -- a neighbouring galaxy of the Milky Way. The galaxy contains several bright bubbles of glowing gas and the N11 is one of the largest and most spectacular star-forming regions in it.

The distinctive shape of N11 has led some astronomers to call it the 'Bean' nebula. It is the process of star formation that gives N11 its distinctive look, ESA's Hubble site said.

Extending over 1000 light years, the N11 nebua is the second largest and most active star-forming region within the Large Magellanic Cloud and has produced some of the most massive stars known, it said.