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Credit & Copyright: Andrew Campbell
Explanation:
To some, it looks like a
giant chicken
running across the sky.
To others, it looks like a gaseous nebula where
star formation takes place.
Cataloged as IC 2944, the
Running Chicken Nebula spans about 100 light years and lies about 6,000
light years away toward the constellation of the
Centaur (Centaurus).
The featured image, shown in
scientifically
assigned colors, was captured recently in an 11-hour exposure from a backyard
near
Melbourne,
Australia.
Two star clusters are visible: the
Pearl Cluster
seen on the far left, and
Collinder
249
embedded in the nebula's glowing gas.
Although difficult to
discern here, several dark
molecular clouds with
distinct shapes can be
found inside the nebula.
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NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: IC 2944 - emission nebula - star formation
Publications with words: IC 2944 - emission nebula - star formation
See also: