The Seagull Nebula
About 3,650 light-years away in the constellation Monoceros, you’ll find IC 2177 - The Seagull Nebula. IC 2177 actually refers to the nebulosity that forms the “head” of the nebula, but there is certainly more to this region than just that: nearby in the images you’ll also find the open star clusters NGC 2335 and NGC 2343.
March 11, 2024
Not far from the Orion constellation lies the Monoceros constellation. Near it, you’ll find IC 2177, the Seagull Nebula. It was originally discovered by an Amateur Astronomy Enthusiast, Isaac Roberts. We’re nearing the end of the season for Nebulae imaging, as the galactic plane is getting lower in the sky, so we’re entering galaxy season where most of the prime the targets are further away and smaller in the sky, which I will find challenging to image with my wide-field telescope. That is of course, unless we’d all be happy with galaxies represented by a few pixels!
Technical Details
Imaging Telescope: William Optics RedCat 51 II
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Filter: Antlia Tri-band RGB Ultra Filter - 2” Mounted
Accessories: ZWO ASIAIR Plus, ZWO EAF, ZWO Filter Drawer (Gen 2)
Software: Siril, Starnet, Photoshop, NoiseXterminator
Guiding Telescope: William Optics UniGuide 32
Guiding Camera: ZWO ASI174MM
Imaging Dates: Mar. 10, 2024
Frames (gain 101.0) f/4.9 -10c: 60x180” (3h)
Integration Time: 3h
Darks/Flats/Dark Flats: 30/30/30
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 5.00