IC 2944 (Caldwell 100) or Lambda Centauri Nebula
IC 2944 or Caldwell 100 (also known as the Lambda Centauri Nebula) is a diffuse nebula and open cluster in the constellation Centaurus. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 4.5 and its angular diameter is 15 arc-minutes. IC 2944 lies at an estimated distance of 6000 light years. The Equinox 2000 coordinates are 11h 36.6m, -63° 02´ which makes IC 2944 a Southern Hemisphere object that is best seen during the spring. The Caldwell Spring Star Chart shows the position of all Caldwell objects visible during that season. Visit the Caldwell Catalog Photo Gallery to see more objects from this catalog. As one of the more famous objects in the Caldwell Catalog, it is commonly known as the Lambda Centauri Nebula.
Technical Details
- Object: IC 2944
- Other Names: Caldwell 100, Lambda Centauri Nebula, Running Chicken Nebula
- Object Type: diffuse nebula and open cluster
- Object Data: Apparent Magnitude = 4.5, Angular Size = 15 arc-minutes
- Object Position (Equinox 2000): 11h 36.6m, -63° 02´, Constellation = Centaurus
- Date/Time: 2011 Jun 03 at 02:30 UTC
- Location: Hotel Inca Utama, Huatajata, Lake Titicaca, BOLIVIA
- Mount: Celestron CG-5 GT
- Lens: Nikkor AF 300 f/2.8
- Camera: Canon EOS 550D (Rebel T2i)
- Field of View: 4.3° x 2.8° at 3.0 arc-sec/pixel (web version: 16.6 arc-sec/pixel)
- Exposure: 4 x 240s, f/2.8, IE800
- File Name: IC2944-01w.jpg
- Processing (Adobe Camera Raw): Vignetting Correction, Noise Reduction, White Balance, Curves
- Processing (Photoshop CS5): Average Images, Curves
- Original Image Size: 3454 × 5179 pixels (17.9 MP); 11.5" x 17.3" @ 300 dpi
- Rights: Copyright 2012 by Fred Espenak. All Rights Reserved. See: Image Licensing.