Astounding Image Reveals Running Chicken Nebula's Dazzling Appearance

The European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope has captured a festive image of the Running Chicken Nebula, also known as IC 2944, resembling a turkey fleeing a cosmic Christmas dinner. The nebula, located 6,500 light-years from Earth, features wispy gas and dust tendrils glowing in red, pink, and orange, with bright blue stars scattered throughout. The image covers a patch of the sky as wide as 25 full moons and showcases various regions of the nebula, including the bright IC 2948, dark Bok globules, and emission nebulas Gum 39, Gum 40, and Gum 41.