Dark nebula · Crux
C99 Coalsack Nebula
7.0° across
About
C99, the Coalsack Nebula, is a dark nebula in Crux, about 7.0° across.
How to find it
- C99 is in the constellation Crux.
- Best evenings: around mid-May it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from south of 18° N.
- Southern Cross and the Pointers: A dark cloud of dust beside the cross, a hole in the Milky Way; best with the naked eye.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesFrom a dark southern site, a dark hole in the Milky Way next to the Southern Cross.
- Binoculars (10×50)A dark patch with only a few faint stars inside.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)Too big for a telescope: it is a naked-eye and binocular sight.
For a dark country sky with no Moon. From a city, faint galaxies and nebulae can disappear completely.
Facts
| Designations | C99 |
|---|---|
| Type | Dark nebula |
| Apparent size | 7.0°the full Moon is 31′ across |
| Constellation | Crux |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 50m 00.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −62° 30′ 00″ |
More in Crux
Sources and credits
Catalog data: OpenNGC by Mattia Verga, CC BY-SA 4.0, and d3-celestial by Olaf Frohn, BSD 3-Clause. All data sources →