IC 2944 (Lambda Centauri Nebula)

IC 2944 or Caldwell 100 (also known as the Lambda Centauri Nebula and Running Chicken Nebula) is a diffuse nebula and open cluster in the constellation Centaurus. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 4.5 and its angular diameter is 15 arc-minutes. IC 2944 lies at an estimated distance of 6000 light years. The Equinox 2000 coordinates are 11h 36.6m, -63° 02´ which makes IC 2944 a Southern Hemisphere object that is best seen during the spring. The Caldwell Spring Star Chart shows the position of all Caldwell objects visible during that season. Visit the Caldwell Catalog Photo Gallery to see more objects from this catalog. As one of the more famous objects in the Caldwell Catalog, it is commonly known as the Lambda Centauri Nebula.

The nebula features Bok 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.. See Wikipedia for more information.

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