"Seagull Nebula" in Monoceros/Canis Major
   
Lens: Nikon 300ED @ f/4.5
Camera: Canon XS (Hutech modified); Raw capture; ISO 800
Mount: Losmandy G-11
Guiding: SSAG on 300mm Komura lens
Exposures:

Luminance: 18 @ 5 min. with Kenko R-64 filter
Color: 12 @ 5 min. with Lumicon Minus Violet filter
Processing:

Camera was focused using Live View. Images were aligned and combined with ImagesPlus. The luminance and color images were aligned with RegiStar and the final product was adjusted (Levels, Curves, Cropping) in Photoshop CS2. Finally,Grain Surgery was applied to reduce noise.

Location:

My backyard observatory in southeastern Minnesota.
Note: Seeing was average; transparency was good; humidity was low. Temperature: 10F
Note: The Seagull nebula (also known as Gum1) is comprised of many distinct nebulae. The wings are IC2177. The head is NGC 2327. The bright spot at the end of the right wing is Sh2-297. Several open clusters are present as well.
   
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