Pictures of the Tulip Nebula

The Tulip Nebula is an emission nebula located in the Cygnus constellation, about 6,000 lightyears away.

Known formerly as Sh2-101, the whole region is 70 lightyears wide and glows as a result of powerful young stars ionising cosmic gas and causing it to emit light.

It can be found about 2 degrees southwest of the Crescent Nebula, NGC 6888, and when it is captured in astrophotos, its distinct tulip shape becomes apparent.

From Earth, the Tulip Nebula is in the same patch of sky as Cygnus X-1, a binary system that contains the first black hole ever discovered, in 1964.

Below is a selection of images of the Tulip Nebula captured by astrophotographers and BBC Sky at Night Magazine readers.

For advice on photographing a nebula, read our guide to deep-sky astrophotography or our tutorial on deep-sky image processing.

And don't forget to send us your images or share them with us via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.