Color image of the Gamma Cygni Nebula, FOV = 63.2x43.4 'arc, north up, east left. (The greenish feature in the upper-left is a reflection of the nearby star Gamma Cygni that is just outside the right edge of the CCD FOV.)  [Celestron CGE-1400, prime focus using HyperStar, SBIG ST-8XTE CCD with CFW-8; R from unfiltered exposures (10x10s), V from 36x10s, B from 50x10s; 2004.08.15Z, Hereford, AZ]

Whereas it is natural to think that we're viewing two bright clouds of red emission it should not be overlooked that most of the structure is due to absorbing clouds of dust that block background red emission. This is apparent by noting the "star count" (of fainst stars) in the dark regions compared with the bright regions.

Gamma Cygni is at the center of the constellation Cygnus, where the two straight line patterns intersect.

This site opened:  August 15, 2004 .  Last Update:  August 15, 2004