This image is developed from a Telescope Live SHO dataset from the AUS-2 telescope. I am posting the original FOV since the original acquisition was with a Takahashi FSQ106 w/.63 FR/FF. To give the nebula its proper due, the final image is a substantially cropped version of the original wide field FoV. You can take your pick on which you prefer.
The acquistion of this dataset was over two nights in mid December 2021. IC 2177 lies close to the galactic plane of the Milky Way so the surrounding star field is quite dense. I purposefully pulled the stars back during processing to allow the nebula to stand out.
As the reference data from Wikipedia mentions, IC-2177 properly refers to the just the circular region around the bright star within the "head" of the Seagull. Amateur astronomers have used that to refer to the entire Seagull Nebula which is quite large, including several other objects. As a result, the target requires a relative wide FoV to be fully captured or a mosaic of at least two or more panes to capture in its entirety.
From Wikipedia:IC 2177 is a region of nebulosity that lies along the border between the
constellationsMonoceros and
Canis Major. It is a roughly circular
H II region centered on the
Be starHD 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 neighboring regions of star clusters, dust clouds and reflection nebulae. This latter region includes the open clusters
NGC 2335 and
NGC 2343.NGC 2327 is located in IC 2177. It is also known as the Seagull's Head, due to its larger presence in the Seagull nebula.
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