ESA ESO Image: Seagull Nebula IC 2177

This image shows the intricate structure of part of the Seagull Nebula, known more formally as IC 2177. 

These wisps of gas and dust are known as Sharpless 2-296 (officially Sh 2-296) and form part of the "wings" of the celestial bird. 

This region of the sky is a fascinating muddle of intriguing astronomical objects - a mix of dark and glowing red clouds, weaving amongst bright stars. 

This new view was captured by the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile. 

Credit: SEA, ESO

The rich colours of a cosmic seagull nebula

Nebulae are among the most visually impressive objects in the night sky.

They are interstellar clouds of dust, molecules, hydrogen, helium and other ionised gases where new stars are being born.

Although they come in different shapes and colours many share a common characteristic: when observed for the first time, their odd and evocative shapes trigger astronomers’ imaginations and lead to curious names.

This dramatic region of star formation, which has acquired the nickname of the Seagull Nebula, is no exception.

This new image from the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile shows the head part of the Seagull Nebula.

It is just one part of the larger nebula known more formally as IC 2177, which spreads its wings with a span of over 100 light-years and resembles a seagull in flight.

This cloud of gas and dust is located about 3700 light-years away from Earth.

The entire bird shows up best in wide-field images (http://www.eso.org/public/images/eso1237c/).

The Seagull Nebula lies just on the border between the constellations of Monoceros (The Unicorn) and Canis Major (The Great Dog) and is close to Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. The nebula lies more than four hundred times further away than the famous star.

The complex of gas and dust that forms the head of the seagull glows brightly in the sky due to the strong ultraviolet radiation coming mostly from one brilliant young star — HD 53367 — that can be spotted in the centre of the image and could be taken to be the seagull’s eye.

The radiation from the young stars causes the surrounding hydrogen gas to glow with a rich red colour and become an HII region. Light from the hot blue-white stars is also scattered off the tiny dust particles in the nebula to create a contrasting blue haze in some parts of the picture.

Although a small bright clump in the Seagull Nebula complex was observed for the first time by the German-British astronomer Sir William Herschel back in 1785, the part shown here had to await photographic discovery about a century later.

NASA WISE Image: Seagull Nebula

This cosmic cloud is one of many sites of star formation within the Milky Way galaxy.

The Seagull nebula, seen in this infrared mosaic from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, draws its name from its resemblance to a gull in flight.

Astronomers catalogue the nebula as IC 2177 and it is nearly 240 light-years across.

It is located 3,800 light-years away from Earth, inside the Orion spur, the same partial spiral arm of the Milky Way where our solar system is located.

Picture: KPA / ZUMA / REX FEATURES

A Matter of Perspective

A Matter of Perspective

The Seagull nebula, seen in this infrared mosaic from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, draws its common name from it resemblance to a gull in flight. But it depends on your point of view.

When the image is rotated 180 degrees it bears a passing resemblance to a galloping lizard -- or perhaps a dragon or a dinosaur.

The image spans an area about seven times as wide as the full moon, and three times as high (3.55 by 1.37 degrees), straddling the border between the constellations Monoceros and Canis Major (the Big Dog). So you might say this lizard is running with the Big Dog, while the gull is flying from it.

Astronomers catalog the nebula as IC 2177. This cosmic cloud is one of many sites of star formation within the Milky Way galaxy. It is located 3,800 light-years away from Earth, inside the Orion spur -- the same partial spiral arm of the Milky Way where our solar system is located. The nebula is nearly 240 light-years across.

WISE is an all-sky survey, snapping pictures of the whole sky -- from asteroids to stars to powerful, distant galaxies.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA