Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Centaurus (Cen)  ·  Contains:  IC 2944  ·  IC 2948  ·  The star λCen  ·  lam Cen Nebula
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IC 2944 in the southern constellation Centaurus, flyingairedale
IC 2944 in the southern constellation Centaurus
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IC 2944 in the southern constellation Centaurus

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
IC 2944 in the southern constellation Centaurus, flyingairedale
IC 2944 in the southern constellation Centaurus
Powered byPixInsight

IC 2944 in the southern constellation Centaurus

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Description

Also known as the Lamda Centauri Nebula or the Running Chicken Nebula and a member of several different astronomical catalogues, this nebula also is home to several Bok globules. First observed in the 1940's by astronomer Bart Bok, such globules are theorized to be very dense clouds of cosmic dust and gas undergoing gravitational collapse that could lead to star formation. The globules appearing in the center of this picture also are referred to as Thackeray's Globules because they were discovered in IC 2944 by astronomer A. David Thackeray in 1950. Being a fairly recent discovery, there is much still being learned about the origin and nature of Bok globules.

Captured at the Deep Sky West Facility in Chile.

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IC 2944 in the southern constellation Centaurus, flyingairedale

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