IC 1318d (centered ~1° east of Gamma Cyg) passes through two 7th magnitude stars (HD 194789 and HD 194908) and is very prominent near these stars. This swath of nebulosity courses mainly SW and NE from these stars. To the west of the bright stars, the nebula is bifurcated into two forks by a dark lane. To the north and NE of the stars, the nebulosity spreads out wider and is interspersed with darker regions. Overall the surface brightness of this section is fairly high but varies quite a bit in intensity and is slightly brighter on the following side of the NE end where it contrasts with the wide dust lane that separates IC 1318e to the SE.

IC 1318e is situated roughly 35' SE of IC 1318d on the opposite side of dark nebula LDN 889. This bright section passes through several wide double stars and gently curves as it sweeps from SW to NE. The overall length is at least 35'x10' (not as wide as on photographs but nearly as long). One or two darker spots or regions lie within the nebulosity although it appears as a single continuous piece without as much structure as IC 1318d.

IC 1318b is possibly the brightest piece of the IC 1318 complex and is located ~2° NW of Gamma Cyg (Sadr). At 73x and either H-beta or UHC filter, it appeared very extended SW-NE or WSW-ENE, roughly 40'x8' and passes through a mag 8 star. This section was easily visible at 12.5x in the 80mm finder using a H-beta filter. The brightest portion is to the NE of the mag 8 star and a number of similar mag stars are involved with this portion. Removing the filter, this section was still visible though the highest contrast was using a UHC filter. To the SW of the star, this river of nebulosity takes a mild bend and flows more towards the south. Another fainter section of nebulosity (not included in the size estimate) spreads out to the NNW of the mag 8 star.

12.5x80mm (7/13/07): viewed in 80mm finder using an H-beta filter. The two roughly parallel brightest sections to the east of Gamma that form the "Butterfly Nebula" (IC 1318d and 1318e) were obvious as extremely large parallel strips oriented ~SW-NE and separated by a wide dark lane.

16x80 (8/23/84): extremely large complex of irregular emission nebulae surrounded Gamma Cygni (position given) with six sections visible at 16x using a UHC and H-beta filters. Overfills the 4° finder field! The most prominent section is an isolated patch NW of Gamma at the edge of the field (IC 1318b = Ced 176c = LBN 251 = DWB 82) and next are two parallel strips just east (IC 1318d = LBN 249) and SE of Gamma (IC 1318e = LBN 245) that have fairly sharp edges. Observation from Mt Rose (above Lake Tahoe) using the finder.

E.E. Barnard discovered IC 1318 on a photographic plate taken with the Willard lens in 1892. He simply mentioned "A photograph which I have made in 1892 with five hours of exposure was Chi Cygni, shows Gamma Cygni to be surrounded by numerous large patches and strips of nebulosity." (Astronomy and Astro-Physics, Vol XIII, No. 3, March 1894).

400/500mm - 18" (7/13/07): Both portions of the "Butterfly Nebula" were easily visible at 12.5x in my 80mm finder using an H-beta filter and were an amazing sight in my 18-inch at 73x using both H-beta and UHC filters as they stretched across the entire 67' field of field and separated by a wide dark lane (LDN 889).

Notes by Steve Gottlieb