Cocoon Nebula (IC 5146)
The Cocoon Nebula (IC 5146). At this time of year it's difficult to get enough exposure on an object because the nights are so short. So, it makes sense to add fresh data to old data and increase the exposure time over years. For this image, just over three hours of data was supplemented with shots taken in 2018, resulting in four and a half hours of exposure (which is needed to bring out details on this object). The down side of this system is that the older data is invariably inferior to the newer stuff.
[From Wikipedia] IC 5146 (also Caldwell 19, Sh 2-125, Barnard 168, and the Cocoon Nebula) is a reflection/emission nebula and Caldwell object in the constellation Cygnus. The NGC description refers to IC 5146 as a cluster of 9.5 mag stars involved in a bright and dark nebula. The cluster is also known as Collinder 470. It shines at magnitude +10.0/+9.3/+7.2. It is located near the naked-eye star Pi Cygni, the open cluster NGC 7209 in Lacerta, and the bright open cluster M39. The cluster is about 4,000 ly away, and the central star that lights it formed about 100,000 years ago; the nebula is about 12 arcmins across, which is equivalent to a span of 15 light-years.
When viewing IC 5146, dark nebula Barnard 168 (B168) is an inseparable part of the experience, forming a dark lane that surrounds the cluster and projects westward forming the appearance of a trail behind the Cocoon.
IC 5146 is a stellar nursery where star-formation is ongoing. Observations by both the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory have collectively identified hundreds of young stellar objects. Young stars are seen in both the emission nebula, where gas has been ionized by massive young stars, and in the infrared-dark molecular cloud that forms the "tail". The most-massive stars in the region is BD +46 3474, a star of class B1 that is an estimated 14±4 times the mass of the sun.
22/06/2018
017 x 300-second exposures at Unity Gain (139) cooled to -20°C
030 x dark frames
030 x flat frames
100 x bias frames
Binning 1x1
Integration time = 1 hour and 25 minutes
08/07/2022
037 x 300-second exposures at Unity Gain (139) cooled to -10°C
055 x dark frames
035 x flat frames
100 x bias frames
Binning 1x1
Integration time = 3 hours and 5 minutes
Total integration time = 4 hours and 30 minutes
Captured with APT
Guided with PHD2
Processed in Nebulosity and Photoshop
Equipment:
Telescope: Sky-Watcher Explorer-150PDS
Mount: Skywatcher EQ5
Guide Scope: Orion 50mm Mini
Guiding Camera: Zwo ASI 120 MC and SVBONY SV105 with ZWO USBST4 guider adapter
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI1600MC Pro with anti-dew heater
Baader Mark-III MPCC Coma Corrector
Filter: Light Pollution filter and Optolong L-Pro
Cocoon Nebula (IC 5146)
The Cocoon Nebula (IC 5146). At this time of year it's difficult to get enough exposure on an object because the nights are so short. So, it makes sense to add fresh data to old data and increase the exposure time over years. For this image, just over three hours of data was supplemented with shots taken in 2018, resulting in four and a half hours of exposure (which is needed to bring out details on this object). The down side of this system is that the older data is invariably inferior to the newer stuff.
[From Wikipedia] IC 5146 (also Caldwell 19, Sh 2-125, Barnard 168, and the Cocoon Nebula) is a reflection/emission nebula and Caldwell object in the constellation Cygnus. The NGC description refers to IC 5146 as a cluster of 9.5 mag stars involved in a bright and dark nebula. The cluster is also known as Collinder 470. It shines at magnitude +10.0/+9.3/+7.2. It is located near the naked-eye star Pi Cygni, the open cluster NGC 7209 in Lacerta, and the bright open cluster M39. The cluster is about 4,000 ly away, and the central star that lights it formed about 100,000 years ago; the nebula is about 12 arcmins across, which is equivalent to a span of 15 light-years.
When viewing IC 5146, dark nebula Barnard 168 (B168) is an inseparable part of the experience, forming a dark lane that surrounds the cluster and projects westward forming the appearance of a trail behind the Cocoon.
IC 5146 is a stellar nursery where star-formation is ongoing. Observations by both the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory have collectively identified hundreds of young stellar objects. Young stars are seen in both the emission nebula, where gas has been ionized by massive young stars, and in the infrared-dark molecular cloud that forms the "tail". The most-massive stars in the region is BD +46 3474, a star of class B1 that is an estimated 14±4 times the mass of the sun.
22/06/2018
017 x 300-second exposures at Unity Gain (139) cooled to -20°C
030 x dark frames
030 x flat frames
100 x bias frames
Binning 1x1
Integration time = 1 hour and 25 minutes
08/07/2022
037 x 300-second exposures at Unity Gain (139) cooled to -10°C
055 x dark frames
035 x flat frames
100 x bias frames
Binning 1x1
Integration time = 3 hours and 5 minutes
Total integration time = 4 hours and 30 minutes
Captured with APT
Guided with PHD2
Processed in Nebulosity and Photoshop
Equipment:
Telescope: Sky-Watcher Explorer-150PDS
Mount: Skywatcher EQ5
Guide Scope: Orion 50mm Mini
Guiding Camera: Zwo ASI 120 MC and SVBONY SV105 with ZWO USBST4 guider adapter
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI1600MC Pro with anti-dew heater
Baader Mark-III MPCC Coma Corrector
Filter: Light Pollution filter and Optolong L-Pro