86255300 In Centaurus spotted Running Chicken
Astronomers working with the 2.2-meter telescope of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), published a snapshot of the nebula IC 2944 (due to the specific shape of the central and most striking part of it is called Nebula Running chicken) in the constellation Centaurus. Photos and descriptions are available at ESO. The nebula is located at a distance of 6.5 thousand light years from Earth. It is a cloud of hydrogen diameter of 70 light years, within which is a large number of young stars. It is their radiation is the source of the emission nebula. Against the backdrop of reddish glow seen the so-called globules (sometimes called Bok globules). It is relatively dark and dense accumulations of gas, clearly visible against the background of a bright IC 2944. In the future, such educational or dissolve under the influence of cosmic wind, or cowering under the influence of its own gravity, leading to the birth of new stars. The globules in the nebula IC 2944 was discovered by David Thackeray in 1950 and first photographed by a telescope "Hubble " in 1999. In mid-September 2011, scientists from ESO reported the discovery of 50 new exoplanets. Of these, 16 were super-Earths – that is, rocky planets with masses ranging from 1 to 10 of the earth. The greatest interest among academics and journalists has caused the planet HD 85512b (its mass is equal to 3.6 Earth), because it is situated in the possible habitability – the region around a star where the planet's surface may be liquid water.
