IC 2944

Emission nebula


name = IC 2944 (Credit:NASA/ESA)
type = Open Cluster with nebulosity
epoch = J2000.0
ra = 11^h 36^m 36.0^s
dec = -63° 02' 00"
dist_ly =
appmag_v = 4.5
size_v = 75′
radius_ly = Unknown
absmag_v = Unknown
constellation = Centaurus
notes = Bok globules
names = Running Chicken Nebula, Lambda Cen Nebula

IC 2944, also known as the Running Chicken Nebula or the Lambda Cen Nebula, is an open cluster with an associated emission nebula found in the constellation Centaurus, near the star Lambda Centauri. It features Bok globules and is most likely a site of active star formation.

The Hubble Space Telescope image at right is a close up of Bok Globules discovered in IC 2944 by South African astronomer A. David Thackeray in 1950. These globules are now known as Thackeray's Globules.

External links

* [http://www.seds.org/~spider/ngc/ngc.cgi?i2944 SEDS: IC 2944]
* [http://www.spacetelescope.org/bin/images.pl?searchtype=freesearch&string=2944 IC 2944 at ESA/Hubble]