Sadr Region / Gamma Cygni Nebula
RA 20h 23m · Dec +40° 18′
5′

A vast emission nebula complex surrounding Sadr (γ Cygni), the star at the heart of the Northern Cross. The glowing hydrogen is split into bright lobes by intervening dark dust lanes — most strikingly the long curving channel that gives the brightest section its butterfly-wing appearance. Sadr itself lies in the foreground at around 1,800 light-years; the nebula sits far behind it at roughly 4,900, spanning well over 100 light-years across. One of the richest wide-field narrowband targets of the summer Milky Way, often framed alongside the open cluster NGC 6910 and the nearby Crescent Nebula.

Emission nebula

Sadr Region / Gamma Cygni Nebula

IC 1318 · Cygnus
These photons are ~4,900 years old
⧉ 5 versions of this capture — pick one to see its image and log
↻ Revisited — built over 2 nights, three nights later
  1. 1 20/09/2025 57m (344 x 10s) ZWO Seestar S50, ZWO Seestar S50 Camera
  2. 2 23/09/2025 18m (110 × 10s) ZWO Seestar S50, ZWO Seestar S50 Camera
20/09/2025 23/09/2025 Three nights later
Date
23/09/2025
Location
36.3859° N, 28.0414° E
Integration
18m (110 × 10s)
Software
ZWO Seestar app
Notes
·
Total effort
4h 6m over 2 nights
Moon
🌒Waxing crescent, 1% lit
Plate solve
Centre RA
20h 23m 18.6s
Centre Dec
+40° 18′ 05″
Field
42.7′ × 76.0′
Pixel scale
2.37″/px
Orientation
-99.4° E of N
Hemisphere
Northern
Also in this frame

Catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, nearest the centre first. Highlighted names have their own photo here.

Where to find it

Finder chart
+40°+40°10′+40°20′+40°30′+40°40′20h20m20h21m20h21m20h22m20h23m20h23m20h24m20h25m20h25m20h26m20h27mIC 1318NE42.7′ x 76.0′5′

Star field and catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, oriented to the solve. Fully offline, from the bundled star and deep-sky catalogues.

Interactive sky chart centred on 20 23 18.6 +40 18 05. Drag to pan, scroll to zoom, click a star or object to identify it. Zoom in to the plate-solved field for the DSS survey photo; zoom out for constellation figures and neighbouring catalogue objects. Fully self-hosted: the star and deep-sky catalogues and the survey image are all served from this site, so nothing external loads. Imagery: DSS2 colour (STScI / POSS-II). Constellation figures © Dominic Ford (GPLv3).

Captured from · Ρόδος (Rhodes)
36.3859° N, 28.0414° E · view on OpenStreetMap ↗ · Place data © GeoNames (CC BY)

Frequently asked questions

What kind of object is IC 1318?
IC 1318 is an emission nebula.
Which constellation is IC 1318 in?
IC 1318 lies in the constellation Cygnus.
How far away is IC 1318?
The light in this image left IC 1318 roughly ~4,900 years ago, so that is how far back in time you are seeing it.
What are the coordinates of IC 1318?
IC 1318 sits at right ascension 20h 23m 19s and declination +40° 18′ 05″ (J2000).
When is the best time to photograph IC 1318?
IC 1318 rides highest in the evening sky around July, reaching about 86° above the horizon from around 36°N.
What equipment was used to photograph IC 1318?
This image of IC 1318 was captured with ZWO Seestar S50 and ZWO Seestar S50 Camera.
How much exposure time went into this image?
This image of IC 1318 represents 18m (110 × 10s) + 57m (344 x 10s) of total integration time.

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