IC2177 - Seagull Nebula

Seagull Nebula

Seagull Nebula (IC 2177 and Sh2-296 in Monoceros and Canis Major

Annotated Image Link Larger Image Link  

The Seagull nebula in Monoceros and Canis Major is a large, bright nebulous composite. Sh2-296 is a large ionized HII region (emission nebula) that forms the wings and body of the seagull. IC 2177 forms the head and is a combined emission and reflection nebula ionized/illuminated by the B-type subgiant main sequence star HD 53623. See the annotated image for details of the image and astronomical information.

  • Location/Date: Gainesville FL, January 29 and 30, 2022
  • Telescope: Takahashi E-130D
  • Camera/Filters: QHY600M with QHYCFW3L filter wheel / Astrodon RGB and Ha filters
  • Guidescope/Guider: Altair 60mm guidescope (225mm); Starlight Express Lodestar X2 guide camera
  • Mount: Astro-Physics 1100GTO
  • Image Acquisition/Guiding Software: N.I.N.A./PHD2
  • Image Processing: PixInsight 1.8.8-12; Photoshop CS6
  • Captures: 200s subframes RGB (15 to 17 each) and Ha (5nm 14)