IC 1396 - Elephant Trunk Nebula
The Elephant's Trunk Nebula is cloud of gas and dust within a larger ionized gas region (IC 1396) that is located in the constellation Cepheus, about 2,400 light years away from Earth. The bright rim around the Elephant Trunk is being illuminated and ionized by a very bright, massive star just to the east. Infrared imaging has shown the Elephant Trunk Nebula to be a site of star formation, though two older stars have carved out a circular cavity in the head of the globule.
July 30, 2024
The galactic plane is returning to a position in the sky where I can once again start imaging larger areas of nebulosity! The Elephant Trunk is a popular object for astrophotographers due to its unique shape and size in the sky. I feel like the color balance is a little green-tinted, but based on other images I’ve seen, that may just be the way this object is!
Technical Details
Imaging Telescope: William Optics RedCat 51 II
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Filter: Antlia Tri-band RGB Ultra Filter - 2” Mounted
Accessories: ZWO ASIAIR Plus, ZWO EAF, ZWO Filter Drawer (Gen 2)
Software: Siril, Starnet, Photoshop, NoiseXterminator, APF-R
Guiding Telescope: William Optics UniGuide 32
Guiding Camera: ZWO ASI174MM
Imaging Dates: July 29, 2024
Frames (gain 101.0) f/4.9 -10c: 100x180” (5h)
Integration Time: 5h
Darks/Flats/Dark Flats: 30/25/30
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 6.00