Right ascension 12 25 00 Constellation Musca | Declination −71° 42′ 00″ Dimensions ≈3 degrees | |
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Designations Sandqvist 149, CG 21, BHR 80, TGU H1875, DCld 301.7-07.2, [DB2002b] G301.70-7.16 Similar NGC 4372, Coalsack Nebula, Snake Nebula, Pipe Nebula, Dark Horse | ||
The Dark Doodad Nebula is a dark nebula located near the globular cluster NGC 4372, having a length of nearly three degrees. "The NGC 4372 is partially obscured by dust lanes, but still appears as a large object some 10 arcseconds in diameter." Although officially unnamed, this long molecular cloud has come to be known under this name. It can be found in the southern constellation of Musca (the Fly) with strong binoculars.
It consists of regions of dense gas and dust. This cloud is one of the closest star forming regions to the solar system. Alan Whitman, has described this as one of the finest dark nebulae—one that is "wonderful, winding, and very definite." Just to the east of the southern end of the Dark Doodad is the globular cluster NGC 4372.
History
The Dark Doodad was named by American amateur astronomer and writer Dennis di Cicco in 1986 upon seeing an image he took from Alice Springs in central Australia. Steven Coe gave it the name Sandqvist 149, because he believed it should be named after the astronomer who found it, though he acknowledges that the popular term prevails.