IC 2944 & IC 2948 REGION - WIDE FIELD

 NEBULA COMPLEX IN CENTARUS  

(Image centered at: ra 11 h:38 m / dec - 63º 28')

IMAGE WITH LABELS

April 2022, Home Backyard in Martínez, Buenos Aires, Argentina

DATA

TYPE: Emission and reflection nebula complex

APPARENT DIAMETER: 75 arc minutes

APPARENT MAGNITUDE (V): 4,5 (mag)

DISTANCE: 6500 light years    

IMAGE INFORMATION

INSTRUMENT: Canon EF 200 mm lens stopped at 4,5

CAMERA: QSI 583 WS

MOUNT: SKY WATCHER NEQ6, Guided with 70/400 refractor 7 Starligh Xpress Lodestar

FILTERS: Baader LRGB Set, Astronomik Ha 6nm

SKY CONDITIONS: urban skies - Bortle 8

EXPOSURES: LHARGB (60,60,60,60,60)

OBJECT DESCRIPTION AND IMAGE SESSION

A wide field image showing a crowded field of view of 4º 30' x 3º 22'. The bright star is Lambda Centauri shining at magnitude 3,1 just 410 light years away from Earth. IC2944 is a large HII region (star forming cloud) also known as RCW 42 and Gum 43. The cluster of hot blue stars to the low left are illuminating the gases of IC2944 and causing it to glow in the red and magenta color. The nebula complex covers a distance of 100 light years and is located close to the plane of the Milky Way therefore a crowded star field is present in all the frame.

Many other objects are visible in the image. See the main ones annotated in the below image.

IC 2944 REGION - WIDE FIELD

 IMAGE LABELED