IC 2944
| Emission nebula | |
|---|---|
| open cluster | |
 | |
| Observation data: J2000.0epoch | |
| Right ascension | 11h36m36.0s |
| Declination | −63° 02′ 00″ |
| Distance | 6500[1]ly |
| Apparent magnitude(V) | 4.5 |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 75'[2] |
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Radius | 71[1][2]ly |
| Notable features | open cluster with nebulosity,Bok globules |
| Designations | IC 2944, RCW 62 Running Chicken Nebula, Lambda Cen Nebula,Caldwell100. |
IC 2944,also known as theRunning Chicken Nebula,theLambda Centauri Nebulaor theλ Centauri Nebula,is anopen clusterwith an associatedemission nebulafound in the constellationCentaurus,near the starλ Centauri.It featuresBok globules,which are frequently a site of active star formation. However, no evidence for star formation has been found in any of the globules in IC 2944.[3]Other designations for IC 2944 include RCW 62, G40 and G42.[4]
TheESOVery Large Telescopeimage on the right is a close up of a set ofBok globulesdiscovered in IC 2944 byastronomerA. David Thackerayin 1950.[5]These globules are now known as Thackeray's Globules. In2MASSimages, 6 stars are visible within the largest globule.
The region of nebulosity visible in modern images includes both IC 2944 and IC 2948, as well as the fainter IC 2872 nearby. IC 2948 is the brightestemissionandreflection nebulaetowards the southeast, while IC 2944 is the cluster of stars and surrounding nebulosity stretching towards λ Centauri.[6]IC 2944 gets the nickname "Running Chicken Nebula" from a group ofstarsthat resemble a runningchicken.The starLambda Centaurilies just outside IC 2944. Thenebulaeis 6,500 light years fromearth.[7]
References
[edit]- ^abThackeray, A. D.;Wesselink, A. J.(1965)."A photometric and spectroscopic study of the cluster IC 2944".Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.131:121–135.Bibcode:1965MNRAS.131..121T.doi:10.1093/mnras/131.1.121.
- ^abSEDS: IC 2944
- ^Reipurth, Bo; Corporon, Patrice; Olberg, Michael; Tenorio-Tagle, Guillermo (1997). "Thackeray's globules in IC 2944".Astronomy and Astrophysics.327:1185.Bibcode:1997A&A...327.1185R.
- ^Lang, Kenneth R. (2012-12-06).Astrophysical Data: Planets and Stars.Springer Science & Business Media.ISBN9781468406405.
- ^Thackeray, A. D. (1950)."Some southern stars involved in nebulosity".Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.110(6): 524–530.Bibcode:1950MNRAS.110..524T.doi:10.1093/mnras/110.6.524.
- ^Stephen James O'Meara (2002).Deep-Sky Companions: The Caldwell Objects.Cambridge University Press.pp. 400–.ISBN978-0-521-82796-6.
- ^"IC 2944, nicknamed the Running Chicken Nebula".eso.org.Retrieved2021-12-16.
External links
[edit]
Media related toIC 2944at Wikimedia Commons- IC 2944 at ESA/Hubble
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