The Seagull Nebula (also known as IC 2177) is a star-forming region that contains emission nebulae, reflection nebulae, neighboring dust clouds, and star clusters. It is large, measuring more than 2 degrees in both axes, and is more than 250 light years in diameter. It gets its name from its resemblance to a seagull in flight.

Also appeared on “Starship Asterisk,” the main discussion venue for the Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD)  May 24, 2016.

Also appeared at http://www.astronomy.com/photos/picture-of-day  June 9, 2016

Technical Information       

Date:              January, 2016
Location:        Green Valley, Arizona
Telescope:      Takahashi FSQ-106EDX
Camera:         SBIG STT-8300M
Filters:            Astrodon Gen 2
Mount:            AstroPhysics 1200
Exposure:       HaRGB = 7:2:2:2 hours respectively, all unbinned
Software:        Acquisition: Maxim DL 5, TheSkyX, Pinpoint, CCD Commander
                       Processing: CCDStack, Pixinsight, PhotoShop CS6 with various plugins