This is a narrowband image of the nebula IC 2177, known as the Seagull Nebula. Frankly, I think it looks a lot more like a parrot, even a phoenix (which would be a more dramatic name), but it’s hard to deny that it looks like a bird of some kind. It’s just a terrifically photogenic deep-sky object.
Also going for it is the fact that it was discovered by an amateur, Isaac Roberts, who published what Wikipedia calls ” the first popular account of celestial photography of the deep sky” in 1893. I was going to complain that it took me four nights to collect the data for this image, but I’m sure Mr. Roberts had it a lot tougher than me back in the day.
Image data:
Exposures: 28 x 600s Ha , 23 x 900s O-III, 17 x 900s S-II (14h 40m total), all binned 2×2
Software: guiding by PHD, stacking in DeepSkyStacker, processing in Photoshop CS3
Telescope: Borg 77EDII 330mm f/4.3
Camera: SBIG ST-8300M with Baader standard narrowband filters
Mount: CGEM
Taken March 17, 18, 19, and 22, 2012 from Whitehouse Station, NJ.
Deep-sky Imaging 