Image Credit & Copyright: Juan Filas
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 a 12-hour exposure.
The star cluster Collinder
249 is visible
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.
