The reflection nebula IC 2220 is located about 1,200 light-years from Earth in the southern constellation of Ship's Keel. It is almost symmetrical and has a diameter of about one light year. This phase in a star's life is very short, so objects of this type are rare. The cloud of gas and dust is illuminated from within by the star HD 65750. It belongs to the red giant type and has five times the mass of our sun. Although it is comparatively young at 50 million years old, it is at a significantly advanced stage of its life. IC 2220 is only visible because the star's light is reflected by the dust grains (in this case, silicon dioxide is responsible for reflecting the starlight).

The nebula was created by the red giant as it continually loses some of its mass to the environment. Red giants form from aging stars that are nearing the final stages of their evolution. They have almost used up their supply of hydrogen. This leads to an enormous expansion of the star's atmosphere. Stars like HD 65750 have a carbon-oxygen core and a shell in which helium fuses. Sometimes hydrogen burning still takes place in the shell.