It takes more than insane math skills and a love of the heavens to be able to work as an astronomer in NASA. You also need some imagination. Stars and space dust tend to form some interesting patterns, and you have to be creative to name a new nebula when you discover one.

The image above is that of what the guys over at NASA call "the Running Chicken Nebula". While a fleet-footed fowl may not be immediately recognizable, tracing the star and red cloud pattern will reveal it after a good look.

Discovered back in 1950 by one A. David Thackeray from South Africa, this nebula is about about 6,000 light years away from Earth and spans about 70 light years in diameter. Prominent stars in this nebula include Lambda Centauri and the energetic young star cluster IC 2944. The red cloud of gas is mostly heated-up hydrogen, giving the skyscape its crimson backdrop.