Butterfly Nebula (IC 1318)

IC 1318 is the diffuse emission nebula surrounding the star Sadr at the center of the Cygnus cross. The Sadr Region is just one of the star's surrounding nebulous regions; others include the Butterfly Nebula and the Crescent Nebula (not seen in this photo). It contains many dark nebulae in addition to the emission diffuse nebulae. Sadr, the brightest star in this image, has a magnitude of 2.2 (very bright) and is about 1,800 light years away. The nebulous regions around the region are also fairly bright. This image was captured over three nights from my backyard during the summer of 2025.