The Majestic Seagull Nebula Takes Flight! Look Low to see our old friend Thor's Helmet! Learn more here. In a far-off region of our Milky Way galaxy, Where stars are born and cosmic wonders never cease to amaze, lies the Seagull Nebula, known by its scientific designation IC 2177. This celestial masterpiece is a vast cloud of interstellar gas and dust, where stellar nurseries give birth to new stars and shape the very fabric of our universe.

The Seagull Nebula is a sight to behold, with its wings stretching across 100 light-years of space. The nebula's structure consists of two distinct parts: the head, which resembles a seagull's head and beak, and the wings, which extend outward in a graceful arc. At the heart of the head lies the star cluster NGC 2335, where young, hot stars emit intense ultraviolet radiation, causing the surrounding gas to glow brilliantly.

But that's not all! The Seagull Nebula is home to a fascinating celestial phenomenon known as a bow shock. This occurs when the stellar wind from a massive star collides with the interstellar medium, creating a curved shock front that resembles a bow. In this case, the star responsible for the bow shock is none other than FN-CMa, a luminous blue variable star that's about 15 to 20 times more massive than our Sun.