IC 2944, nicknamed the Running Chicken Nebula
This new image from the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope shows the Running Chicken Nebula, a cloud of gas and newborn stars that lies around 6500 light-years away from us in the constellation of Centaurus (The Centaur). Officially called IC 2944, or the Lambda Centauri Nebula, its strange nickname comes from the bird-like shape of its brightest region. The star Lambda Centauri itself lies just outside the field of view.
Credit:ESO
About the Image
| Id: | eso1135a |
| Type: | Observation |
| Release date: | 21 September 2011, 12:00 |
| Related releases: | eso1135 |
| Size: | 8579 x 7763 px |
About the Object
| Name: | IC 2944 |
| Type: | Milky Way : Nebula : Appearance : Emission : H II Region |
| Distance: | 6500 light years |
| Constellation: | Centaurus |
| Category: | Nebulae |
Image Formats
Wallpapers
Coordinates
| Position (RA): | 11 38 20.44 |
| Position (Dec): | -63° 22' 22.45" |
| Field of view: | 34.01 x 30.77 arcminutes |
| Orientation: | North is 0.1° right of vertical |
View in WorldWide Telescope:
Colours & filters
| Band | Telescope |
|---|---|
| Optical B | MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope WFI |
| Optical V | MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope WFI |
| Infrared R | MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope WFI |
| Optical H-alpha | MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope WFI |