Rise of the Phoenix

7 Panel Narrowband Mosaic of this Amazing Nebula!

IC2177 in Narrowband
Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes,  IC 2177 has a majestic avian presence, with it’s ethereal curtains of Ha drifting in Stellar winds.
Revisiting the region I have previously imaged but now as a 7 panel mosaic to free the subject and allow this bird space to fly!
There’s a nice Herbig Haro object in the upper right hand side, and maybe a few more objects of interest for the scientifically minded throughout the field.
Data gathered over three months from suburban Melbourne, Australia.
Ha 5nm 50 x 1800secs
O3 3nm 16 x 900secs Binx2
S2 3nm 16 x 900secs Binx2
RGB 15 x 60sec ea per panel (442 subs!)
Absolute nightmare to register, even using registar my laptop feinted several times!
However, like the little engine that could I kept at it and eventually got the image together.

Enjoy the view!

Gold Award (with Distinction) 2018 AIPP Victorian Professional Photography Awards

Silver Award (with Distinction) 2018 AIPP Australian Professional Photography Awards

About this Nebula

IC 2177 is a region of nebulosity that lies along the border between the constellations Monoceros and Canis Major. It is a roughly circular H II region centered on the Be star HD 53367. This nebula was discovered by Welsh amateur astronomer Isaac Roberts and was described by him as “pretty bright, extremely large, irregularly round, very diffuse.”
The name Seagull Nebula is sometimes applied by amateur astronomers to this emission region, although it more properly includes the neighbouring regions of star clusters, dust clouds and reflection nebulae. This latter region includes the open clusters NGC 2335 and NGC 2343. (Wikipedia)

Spanning almost 7 degrees across planet Earth’s night sky toward the constellation Canis Major, this broad expanse of glowing gas and dust presents a bird-like visage to astronomers from planet Earth, suggesting its popular moniker – The Seagull Nebula. This portrait of the cosmic bird covers a 1.6 degree wide swath across the plane of the Milky Way, near the direction of Sirius, alpha star of the constellation Canis Major. Of course, the regionincludes objects with other catalog designations: notably NGC 2327, a compact, dusty emission region with an embedded massive star that forms the bird’s head (aka the Parrot Nebula, above center). Dominated by the reddish glow of atomic hydrogen, the complex of gas and dust clouds with bright young stars spans over 100 light-years at an estimated 3,800 light-year distance. (from APOD)