This frames two contrasting nebulas on the border of Canis Major and Monoceros. At top is the large Seagull Nebula or IC 2177, an area of mostly red h
This frames two contrasting nebulas on the border of Canis Major and Monoceros. At top is the large Seagull Nebula or IC 2177, an area of mostly red hydrogen-alpha emission and is a region of star formation, though it contains some blue reflection nebulas. At bottom is the small Duck Nebula, though it is usually better known as Thor's Helmet, but officially it is NGC 2359. It is mostly emitting cyan oxygen III light and is made of material cast off by a hot star called a Wolf-Rayet star. The Seagull also encompasses smaller nebulas catalogued as Gum 1 or RCW 2 (the head of the Seagull) and Gum 3 or Ced 90, the nodule at the tip of the bottom wing. The star cluster at top just left of centre is NGC 2353; at bottom right of centre is NGC 2345. The cluster embedded in the Seagull's upper wing is NGC 2343. This is a blend of filtered and unfiltered images: a stack of 12 x 10-minute exposures at ISO 3200 with the IDAS NBZ dual narrowband filter to enhance the nebulosity, and a stack of 12 x 5-minute exposures at ISO 800 with no filter for the base sky image. All with the Sharpstar 61mm EDPH III refractor at and filter-modified Canon EOS R camera. On the Astro-Physics AP400 mount and autoguided with the MGEN3 stand-alone autoguider. Taken March 8, 2024 from the Warrumbungles Mountain Motel near Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia on the first night of the OzSky Star Safari star party. The field was nearly overhead when I shot the frames.
Size: 6700px × 4460px
Photo credit: © Alan Dyer / VWPics / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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