Sh 2-37, also known by the designation IC 1284, or the common name Twiddlebug Nebula,[5] is an emission nebula in the constellation Sagittarius. It is located is the direction of ionizing star cluster Dias 5. It also contains the radio source W 34.[6]

It is located near the center of the galaxy, and is partially obscured by dust. Nearby Sh 2-37, which appears mostly red, are two small blue reflection nebulae, known as NGC 6589 and NGC 6590.[7][8] SIMBAD notably provides the wrong coordinates for Sh 2-37, giving it the same coordinates as nearby NGC 6590.[9]

Discovery

Sh 2-37 was discovered by Edward Emerson Barnard on a photographic plate on 31 May 1892. He initially described it as a "nebulous star".[10]

References