IC 2944 Close-up

IC 2944, also known as the Running Chicken Nebula, is an open cluster with an associated emission nebula found in the constellation of Centaurus, near the star Gamma Centauri. IC 2944 is about 75 light years across and 6,500 light years from earth. Small, dark molecular clouds rich in obscuring cosmic dust, called Thackeray's Globules for their discoverer, A. David Thackeray, are potential sites for the gravitational condensation of new stars.