IC 2944 / 48 - RUNNING CHICKEN NEBULA

Centaurus

(ra: 11,36.6 / dec -63:02)

MAY  2011, Mercedes - Buenos Aires, Argentina

DATA

TYPE: Cluster Associated with Nebulosity

Apparent Magnitude: NA

Apparent Diameter:  75  arcs minutes

DISTANCE: 7000 lights years

IMAGE INFORMATION

SCOPE: Orion Optics UK 150/750 f5 Ultra Grade Mirror with Baader MPCC

CAMERA: QSI 583 WS

MOUNT: NEQ6

GUIDING: Synta 70/400 refractor with Starlight Xpress LodeStar AstroArt 3.0 - Control Interface 3.72 plug in

FILTERS: Astronomik Type II 

SKY CONDITIONS: rural skies - transparency and seeing good

EXPOSURES: LHaRGB (60,30,20,20,20)

PROCESSING: Calibration in Images Plus Sigma Media (no darks, flats, bias applied), CCD Sharp, NASA Photoshop Fits Liberator, Photoshop CS2

OBJECT DESCRIPTION AND IMAGE SESSION

IC 2944/48 lies between the Southern Cross and Eta Carina. A region of emission clouds that looks quite uniform. A very active and rich zone of star forming region. The open cluster in the upper left side is IC 2944. It shows very young stars at about 5900 light years away.

The black spots also in the center left side of the image are intriguing objects . They were discovered by south African astronomer A.D.Thackeray. The larger has a diameter of 1 light year and it mass is equivalent to 15 times our Sun. This type of black spots are also known as Bok Globules

(after the astronomer who first discovered) and they are present in many objects like The Lagoon Nebula. There are not much information about them but they are present in star forming regions