IC 1396 — A New Dragon Emerges from the Mist

by Bob Meincke

Objects in field: IC 1396, LDN, LDN 1093, LDN 1096, LDN 1098, LDN 1099, LDN 1102, LDN 1105, LDN 1110, LDN 1111, LDN 1112, LBN 451, LBN 452, LBN 455, Sh2-131, VdB142, B161, V0429 Cep, V0432 Cep, V0568 Cep

Equipment: Sky-Watcher Explorer 150P, SVBony SV405CC

Integration: 15h 51m

IC 1396 — A New Dragon Emerges from the Mist IC 1396 is a large emission nebula complex in Cepheus, best known for the Elephant Trunk Nebula region. In this processing, though, the familiar trunk shape started reading less like an elephant and more like a dragon pushing forward through the blue-green mist, with the warm red cloud spreading behind it like wings. I leaned into that visual story…