IC2944 - Running Bok Globules

IC 2944/2948 (also known as the Running Chicken Nebula) is an emission nebula and home to the new open star cluster Collinder 249, born from the cloud 7.9 million years ago. It is 70 – 77 light years across and located around 5,800 – 6,500 light-years away in the constellation of Centaurus,
Aside from the glowing gas, another sign of star formation in the Running Chicken is the series of opaque black clumps silhouetted against the red background in part of this image. These are so called Bok globules, which are usually active star formation regions. They appear dark as they absorb the light from the luminous background. Observations of these dark Bok globules using infrared telescopes, which are able to see through the dust that normally blocks visible light, have indeed revealed that stars are forming within many of them.

The most prominent collection of Bok globules in this image is known as Thackeray’s Globules, after the South African astronomer who discovered them in the 1950s. These are visible among a group of bright stars in the centre part of the image.