A prominent dark nebula in the constellation Crux, easily visible to the naked eye as a dark patch against the bright Milky Way in the Southern Hemisphere.
Dark nebula in Crux.
Can you see it from Guyana?
From Georgetown (6.8° N) it climbs to 20° above the southern horizon at its highest; from Lethem (3.4° N), to 24° above the southern horizon. It is highest at midnight on the night of 1 Apr, in the middle of its season. The page works out tonight's rise, highest point and set for both towns in Guyana time (UTC-4), and where the Moon is.
What you'll see
Your eyes: Plain to the eye from a dark site as a dark hole in the Milky Way beside the Southern Cross, low in the south: 20° from Georgetown.
10x50 binoculars: Few stars inside it against the rich star fields around it.
A small telescope (80 to 100 mm): Too big for a telescope: use your eyes and binoculars.
A camera: A 50-100 mm lens frames it with the Southern Cross; a tracker helps.
How big, how bright, how far
Distance: 600 light-years. The light reaching your eye left it about 600 years ago, around the year 1430.
What it is made of
Type
Dark Nebula
Distance
Approx. 600 Lightyears
True size
Approx. 30-35 Lightyears across
Dust Grains: Silicates and carbonaceous material, opaque to visible light
Molecular Gas (H2, CO): Cold gas, not easily visible