308 second exposure. Modified Canon Digital Rebel DSLR camera.
5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.
Visible to the naked eye as a faint "star" near the eastern end of the bar of the Large Cloud of Magellan, the Tarantula nebula is one of the "must see" objects of the southern skies. In an 8" telescope the trailing whisps of nebulosity that give the nebula its name are easily visible, as is a small cluster of stars near the centre that look like the eyes of the spider. In a larger telescope, the nebula really does look like a giant arachnid lurking in the sky.
