Coalsack

or Coal Sack

[ kohl-sak ]

nounAstronomy.
  1. a dark nebula in the southern constellation Crux, whose dust particles obscure light from Milky Way stars behind it.

Origin of Coalsack

1
First recorded in 1625–35; coal + sack1
  • Also called Southern Coalsack.

Words Nearby Coalsack

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for Coal Sack

Coal Sack

noun
  1. a dark nebula in the Milky Way close to the Southern Cross

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012