April 10, 2023
On the day you were born, another consciousness opened inside the cosmos and began taking notes.
IC 2944: The Running Chicken Nebula
Birthday · April 10, 2023
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APOD published April 10, 2023. Credit: Daniel Stern. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
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 a 16-hour exposure over three nights. The star cluster Collinder 249 is visible 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.
Image credit: Daniel Stern