Hubble Caldwell 103, 30 Doradus, Tarantula Nebula

In the most active starburst region in the local universe lies a cluster of brilliant, massive stars, known to astronomers as Hodge 301, seen at the lower right of this Hubble image. Many of the stars in Hodge 301 are so old that they have exploded as supernovae, blasting material outward at speeds of almost 200 miles per second. This high-speed material plows into the surrounding Tarantula Nebula, shocking and compressing the gas into a multitude of sheets and filaments, seen in the upper left portion of the picture.