Stars and Gas of the Running Chicken Nebula.

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 an 11-hour exposure from a backyard near Melbourne , Australia . Two star clusters are visible: the Pearl Cluster seen on the far left, and Collinder 249 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.

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