vdB 93 - THE SEAGULL HEAD

(aka GUM 1 or RCW 2)

EMISSION AND REFLECTION NEBULA IN MONOCEROS 

 (Image Centred at ra 07h:05m / dec -10:32)

December 2014 - Camping La Porteña, San Antonio de Areco, Buenos Aires, Argentina

DATA

Type: Emission and Reflection Nebula

Apparent Magnitude NA

FOV 20 x 20 arc minutes

Distance: 3.750 light years

IMAGE INFORMATION

TELESCOPE: 8" Orion Optics UK Mirror with Televue Paracorr (1150 mm focal length)

CAMERA: QSI 583 WS

FILTERS: Baader LRGB

SKY CONDITIONS: rural skies

EXPOSURES: LHaRGB (30,30,30,30,30) shots at bin 1x1

OBJECT DESCRIPTION AND IMAGE SESSION

The picture shows part of the emission and reflection complex known as the Seagull Nebula which is located in the boundaries of Canis Majoris and Monoceros. IC 2177 refers to the wings of the seagull while vdB 93 represents the Seagull Head. This is both an HII region and a reflection nebula bisected by a prominent dust lane. The reflection in the head is ionized by the central star HD 53367. This is a young star system with a 20 solar masses and 5 solar mass companion in a elliptical orbit shining at magnitude 6.97.

The image was cropped for aesthetical reasons. The field of view was reduced to approximately 43 x 27 arc minutes.