Cocoon Nebula (IC5146)
2024.10.24 @ 22:00
Alt: 73°
The Cocoon Nebula, also known as IC5146, is a fascinating emission and reflection nebula located about 3,300 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus. This nebula is a stellar nursery where new stars are forming, with a bright central star that illuminates the surrounding gas and dust, giving the nebula its soft, cocoon-like appearance. The Cocoon is linked to a dark nebula, a dense, starless region called Barnard 168, which stretches out like a trail behind it, obscuring the background stars.
The Cocoon Nebula sits in one of the Milky Way’s richest star fields, so it's dark trail and glowing cloud stand out even more against a sea of distant stars.
Setup:
C8-XLT + f/6.3 reducer @ 1208mm focal length
iOptron mount, tracking
Ares-C Pro camera
Optolong L-Pro filter
SharpCap Pro & Siril
Total exposure time: 8 hours
Processing: mediocre
IC5146_final.jpg
