Emission Nebula · Centaurus

C100 Lambda Centauri Nebula

Magnitude
4.5
Season
Spring
Difficulty
Very Easy
Planner
Star-hop chart
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10.0° vertical field
RA 11h 38m 00sDec −62.30°0° · N/E orientation
Imaging reference
Lambda Centauri Nebula (C100) Emission Nebula

Observer's guide

About Lambda Centauri Nebula

Lambda Centauri Nebula (C100) is catalogued as an emission nebula in Centaurus. Its J2000 position is RA 11:38:00, Dec -62:18:00, corresponding to 174.5833 degrees RA and -63.3728 degrees Dec. The local catalogue places it about 6,000 light-years away. No consistent angular diameter is available in the source record.

Observing tips

This is rated as a very easy target at magnitude 4.5. It is associated with spring observing, with midnight placement typically strongest around March. From 52 degrees north its theoretical meridian altitude is about 0 degrees; local horizons and the live altitude chart determine the practical window.

Its brightness makes it a practical binocular or small-telescope candidate when it is well above the horizon.

What to expect

The SIMBAD classification for the matched source is OpC. A published radial velocity value is -0.9 km/s. The SIMBAD record currently connects it to 192 bibliographic references.

Confirm the framing in the live sky atlas before choosing a field of view. Use the listed unknown arcminute extent to check framing, and treat catalogue magnitude as integrated brightness rather than a direct measure of visual contrast.

Sourced catalogue data

Scientific record

Coordinates (J2000/ICRS)
RA 174.58333° · Dec -63.37278°
SIMBAD classification
OpC
Radial velocity
-0.9 km/s
Redshift
-0.000003
Linked bibliography
192 references
Best midnight placement
March
Observable latitude range
-90° to 26.6°

Source: SIMBAD ↗

24-hour altitude profile

Photographic sky survey