IC 2177 (also designated Sh 2-292) is a large emission nebula located approximately 3,650 light-years from Earth in the constellation Monoceros, near the border with Canis Major. The object is commonly referred to as the Seagull Nebula due to the bird-like morphology of the wider complex, although strictly speaking IC 2177 refers only to the roughly circular "head" region of approximately 20 arcminutes in diameter.

The wider Seagull complex spans roughly 3 degrees of sky and is approximately 100 light-years across. It is composed of several catalogued regions: Sh 2-296 forms the "wings", while IC 2177 / Sh 2-292 forms the "head". Additional components include Sh 2-295, Sh 2-297, multiple reflection nebulae, dark dust lanes (LDN 1657, LDN 1658), and the open star clusters NGC 2335 and NGC 2343. The entire complex is part of the CMa OB1 stellar association.

The primary ionizing source is HD 53367, a young pre-main sequence Herbig Ae/Be star of spectral type B, with a mass exceeding 20 solar masses. It is a triple system; the two main components are separated by approximately 1.7 AU and have an orbital period of 367.7 days. The luminosity of HD 53367 is approximately 11,000 times that of the Sun. A prominent bow shock arc is visible within the complex, attributed to the interaction of radiation winds and outflowing gas from the runaway binary system FN Canis Majoris with the surrounding interstellar medium.

The nebula lies within the Orion Spur of the Milky Way. It is an active star-forming region.

Acquisition: RGB 223 × 240s (14h52m) + HaOIII 116 × 240s (7h44m) — Total: 22h36m Dates: January 18–21, January 30, February 6, February 16–19, 2026 Location: Starfront Observatories, Rockwood, Texas, USA Mount: ZWO AM5 — Optics: Celestron Rasa 8 — Camera: ASI2600MC PRO Filters: Antlia V-Pro Luminance 2" (RGB) + IDAS NBZ-II 2" (HaOIII) Calibration: Offsets + Flats