Wallpaper author:
Walter Borghini
11 May 2026
Running Chicken Nebula
The Running Chicken Nebula is a star-forming region approximately 6,500 light-years away, visible in the constellation Centaurus.
It is part of the Sagittarius Arm, the closest spiral arm in our galaxy, located further inland from the Orion Arm, where our Solar System resides. The hot, massive newborn stars emit intense ultraviolet radiation that ionizes the surrounding hydrogen gas, causing it to glow. Its size is over 70 light-years.
Processed with PixInsight and PaintShop Pro.
Dataset from which the image was processed
IC 2944
34 credit
- Type of target............................................................................................................................Emission Nebula
- Camera............................................................................................................................FLI PL16803
- Target coordinates............................................................................................................................RA 173.7402 Dec -63.27805
- Hemisphere............................................................................................................................Southern
- Telescope location............................................................................................................................Australia
- Transient event............................................................................................................................No
- Observed on............................................................................................................................05 Nov 2020 - 13 Jul 2022
Filter | Avg Exp (s) | Total Exposure | Subframes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halpha | 464 | 19h20m | 150 |
| OIII | 404 | 16h50m | 150 |
| SII | 412 | 17h10m | 150 |