A new telescopic image reveals a distant cloud of cosmic gas that looks like a curious chicken, tilting its head in wonder at the universe.
This image, taken by the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) at Paranal Observatory in Chile, captures emission nebula — A bright cloud of ionized gas that emits its own light — about 6,500 light-years from Earth Earth Located in the southern constellation Centauri.
The nebula’s official name is IC 2872 or Gum 40; however, it is also reportedly nicknamed the “Chicken Nebula” a statement From the European Southern Observatory.
Ethereal, billowing clouds of gas nebula Can take on many shapes that appear different to the viewer. One explanation for IC 2872 is that it resembles a chicken’s head, with its head tilted upward as seen in the lower right corner of the image. The bright region of star formation appears to be a glowing beak, with darker clouds extending from the beak to the top of the chicken’s head like a pea comb.
Danish astronomer Johann Louis Emile Dreyer first cataloged the nebula in 1888. His research resulted in the New General Catalog of Nebulae and Clusters (NGC), initially an index of 7,840 objects, e.g. galaxystar clusters and emission nebulae.
Dreyer later added two Index Catalogs (IC), containing 5,386 objects. At the time, the nebula was known as IC 2872.
Gum 40’s nickname comes from the work of Australian astronomer Colin Stanley Gum. In 1955 he established a catalog of 84 types of chewing gum nebula Southern skies, including this one.
“As telescopes and instruments continue to improve, more and more deep-sky objects are being discovered, so lists and catalogs will never be complete,” ESO officials said in a statement announcing the release of the new images on Dec. 9.
Emission nebulae like IC 2872 are formed when intense radiation occurs Star The gas in or near the nebula excites the surrounding gas and causes it to glow in various colors depending on the type of gas present. Stars are born in clouds of gas and dust, which is why nebulae are hotbeds of new star formation.
The new VLT image is dotted with many young, bright blue stars, one of which appears to mark the chicken’s right eye.