IC 2944, also known as the Running Chicken Nebula or the Lambda Cen Nebula, is an open cluster with an associated emission nebula found in the constellation Centaurus, near the star Lambda Centauri. It features Bok globules, which are frequently a site of active star formation. However, no evidence for star formation has been found in any of the globules in IC 2944.
The Hubble Space Telescope image on the right is a close up of a set of Bok globules discovered in IC 2944 by South African astronomer A. David Thackeray in 1950. These globules are now known as Thackeray's Globules.
Read more about IC 2944: Gallery