IC 2944 (Lambda Centauri Nebula)

This is an object I have imaged twice over the years, both times during a stay at the Tivoli Astrofarm in Namibia under its superb southern skies.

IC 2944, also known as the Lambda Centauri Nebula, is a beautiful open cluster surrounded by an extensive emission nebula located in the constellation Centaurus. The region is illuminated by the hot, young stars of the cluster, whose intense radiation excites the surrounding hydrogen gas, producing the vivid red glow typical of H II regions. Embedded within the nebula are the famous Thackeray’s Globules — small, dense clouds of dust and gas that may one day collapse to form new stars.

The last time I imaged this remarkable region was in 2008. The data calibration and registration were performed using DeepSkyStacker, while the final image processing was completed in PixInsight.

Besides the main objects, you can find the planetary nebula Henize 2-76 above the center.

The images were taken with the following equipment:

Date 2006
Location: Tivoli, Namibia
Telescope: Pentax 75
Focal length [mm]: 500
Focal ratio: 6.7
Mount: Vixen Atlux
Camera: Canon 300 Da
Filter: OSC
Exposure time [min]: 64
Resolution: 3.04″/px

The first time I imaged this open cluster and nebula in 2006. Data calibration and registration was done with DeepSkystacker, the final processing was done with PixInsight. The result was as follows: