Gum 41

Gum 41 is a nebula located around 7,300 light years from Earth in the constellation of Centaurus. It is part of a larger region known as the Running Chicken nebula. In the center of the nebula is a potential system of two young massive stars named HD 100099. These stars ionize the hydrogen surrounding it making Gum 41 an example of a Strömgren sphere, a shell of ionized hydrogen around a central star.

Discovery

Gum 41 was discovered in 1955 by Colin [Stanley Gum|Colin Gum], an Australian astronomer. It was discovered through images taken at the Mount Stromlo Observatory near Canberra.