Elephant's Trunk Nebula

by Justin Pickens

Objects in field: IC 1396, LDN, LDN 1092, LDN 1093, LDN 1096, LDN 1098, LDN 1099, LDN 1101, LDN 1102, LDN 1104, LDN 1105, LDN 1106, LDN 1110, LDN 1111, LBN 451, LBN 452, LBN 455, Sh2-131, VdB142, B161

Equipment: Apertura 60EDR 60mm FPL-53 Doublet, ZWO ASI533MC Pro

Integration: 22h 17m

I pointed my telescope towards the Cepheus constellation during the first week of September to capture IC 1396A, better known as the Elephant's Trunk Nebula. The dark, snaking column running through the center of the frame is a dense cord of cold molecular gas and dust about 25 light-years long, sitting inside the much larger IC 1396 emission nebula. IC 1396 itself is one of the biggest emission…