When to photograph IC 2944 (Running Chicken Nebula)
IC 2944, the Running Chicken Nebula, is a cluster with nebula in Centaurus, 7′ across at magnitude 4.5. Also listed as C 100.
When to photograph it
From 45° N it never rises.
From 35° S the best months are February to May, with up to 9.2 hours of astronomical darkness above 30° in April. It reaches 62° at its highest. It never sets from this latitude, so some imaging is possible all year.
Framing
Its long axis is 7′. It fills 35 to 80% of the short side of an APS-C sensor at about 2610 to 5960 mm, and of a full-frame sensor at about 4010 to 9170 mm.
Filters and the moon
It glows in H-alpha, and often OIII, so a dual-band filter on a color camera or narrowband filters on a mono camera cut light pollution and keep it workable with the moon up. The dark sky calendar shows which nights this month are moon-free where you are.
Plan it for tonight
Dates and times depend on your exact location. The imaging planner shows IC 2944's altitude through tonight, its transit time and its distance from the moon. For sub length, use the exposure calculator.
Nearby targets
- NGC 3766 Pearl Cluster 1.4° away
- NGC 3576 Statue of Liberty Nebula 3.3° away
- NGC 3532 Wishing Well Cluster 5.6° away
- IC 2602 Southern Pleiades 6.0° away
- C 99 Coalsack Nebula 6.2° away
- NGC 3372 Carina Nebula 6.8° away
Gear that suits IC 2944
IC 2944 is 7.2′ along its long axis. These frame it on an APS-C sensor with room to crop. It shines in H-alpha and OIII, so a dual-band filter on a color camera cuts through light pollution and moonlight.
- Celestron C8 OTA 2032 mm f/10: fills 27% of an APS-C frame's short side View at High Point Scientific
- Celestron EdgeHD 8 OTA 2032 mm f/10: fills 27% of an APS-C frame's short side View at High Point Scientific
- Optolong L-Ultimate 3 nm 3 nm dual-band, Ha, OIII, for color cameras View at High Point Scientific
- Antlia ALP-T 5 nm 5 nm dual-band, Ha, OIII, for color cameras View at High Point Scientific
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