coalsack

English - English

Definition of coalsack in English English dictionary

Dark nebula in the Crux constellation (Southern Cross). It reduces the brightness of stars beyond it by 1-1.5 magnitudes. Easily visible against a starry background, it is probably about 550-600 light-years from Earth and 20-30 light-years in diameter. It figures in legends of peoples of the Southern Hemisphere and has been known to Europeans since 1500. The Northern Coalsack, in the constellation Cygnus, is similar in nature and appearance but somewhat less obvious

the large space near the Southern Cross sometimes called the Black Magellanic Cloud

Any one of the spaces in the Milky Way which are very black, owing to the nearly complete absence of stars; esp

Hyphenation

Coal·sack