Thackeray's Globules in IC 2944

This image shows the chaotic but beautiful ionisation fronts in the heart of the Running Chicken Nebula (IC2944). In the centre of the area are many small black dust clouds called Bok globules (better shown in the starless image). They are dense, isolated clouds of cosmic dust in which new stars are being born.

They may look insignificant in the picture, but they are truly remarkable in size. The larger globules in this picture are 1 to 2 light-years across. In comparison, our outermost planet's orbit (Pluto) is only 0.0007 light-years in radius. If our planetary system is in the picture, it will be smaller than a single pixel!

Starless image of the Running Chicken Nebula (IC2944)

FYI, these Bok globules are now known as Thackeray's Globules because David Thackeray discovered them in 1950.

(The original data was acquired from iTelescope, which I processed using pixinsight and photoshop).