Can a gas cloud grab a galaxy? It's not even close. The "claw" of this odd looking "creature" in the above photo is a gas cloud known as a cometary globule. This globule, however, has ruptured. Cometary globules are typically characterized by dusty heads and elongated tails. These features cause cometary globules to have visual similarities to comets, but in reality they are very much different. Globules are frequently the birthplaces of stars, and many show very young stars in their heads. The reason for the rupture in the head of this object is not completely known. The galaxy above the globule is huge, very far in the distance, and only placed near CG4 by chance superposition (text adapted from APOD).Click here for a higher resolution image of the globule taken from Chile. Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 -Ha (410m) L (230m) R (75m) G (75m) B (80m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia
Hidden in the vast Milky Way starfields of Musca, the faint spidery tendrils of the Ha shell G296.2-2.8 envelop the brighter reflection nebula IC 2966. It is very large with a size of 1 degree, which is equivalent to the area covered by 2 full moons! It is one of hundreds of new objects discovered in the SuperCOSMOS H-alpha Survey. This particular ghostly phantom was found on Ha plates in 2001 by Andrew Walker, William Zealey and Quentin Parker. At the moment its true nature is unknown and some of the possible scenarios concerning its formation are that it might have been produced by a supernova remnant interacting with a dark cloud or more unlikely is that it might be ionised by the central star of IC 2966. If G296.2-2.8 and IC 2966 are related, then based on the distance of 10,700 light years for IC 2966, the size of G296.2-2.8 is roughly 200 light years! Despite its faintness, G296.2-2.8 would look more brighter and detailed in a high resolution mosaic with a larger telescope and is certainly a unique "hidden treasure" of the southern sky. Thanks to Sakib Rasool for suggesting me this obscure yet intriguing object and for preparing the above object description. Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (1115m) R (80m) G (60m) B (80m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia
Bright nebulae abound in and around the expansive southern constellation of Centaurus. This one, cataloged as IC 2948/2944 is near the star Lambda Centauri (just in the center of the frame) and not far on the sky from the better known Eta Carinae Nebula. Embedded in the reddish glowing cloud of hydrogen gas, typical of emission nebulae found in massive star-forming regions, is the energetic young star cluster Collinder 249. Seen in silhouette near the center of the view are small, dark clouds of obscuring cosmic dust. Called Thackeray's Globules for their discoverer, they are potential sites for the formation of new stars, but are likely being eroded by the intense radiation from the nearby young stars. Of course, gazing at the center of the region suggests to some IC 2948's popular name - The Running Chicken Nebula. The gorgeous skyscape spans about 70 light-years at the nebula's estimated 6,000 light-year distance (text adapted from APOD). Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (150m) R (80m) G (80m) B (90m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia
