Dissecting the Core of the Tarantula Nebula with MUSE

Abstract: We provide an overview of Science Verification MUSE observations of NGC 2070, the central region of the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Integral-field spectroscopy of the central 2' x 2' region provides the first complete spectroscopic census of its massive star content, nebular conditions and kinematics. The star-formation surface density of NGC 2070 is reminiscent of the intense star-forming knots of high-redshift galaxies, with nebular conditions similar to low-redshift Green Pea galaxies, some of which are Lyman continuum leakers. Uniquely, MUSE permits the star-formation history of NGC 2070 to be studied from both spatially-resolved and integrated-light spectroscopy.