- Elephant Trunk Nebula IC 1396 -

Yesterday evening I found some old data, taken with my Sigma lens, I never touched really because they was so dark in each sub and I was thinking the quality would be to bad to process them. But hey, I did in the end.

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Mount: SkyWatcher HEQ5 Pro

Guiding: ZWO ASI 120MM Mini USB 2.0 Mono Camera - Orion 50mm Guide Scope

Filter: Astronomik CLS CCD EOS APS-C Clip-Filter

Camera: Canon EOS 70D (full spectrum modified)

Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM (Contemporary)

Focal length: 250mm

100 x 90 seconds frames - ISO 640 – f6.3

2hr 30" total Integration

Darks: 20 frames

Flats: 20 frames

Bios: 20 frames

DarkFlats: 20 frames

Bortle 5/6

Apps: N.I.N.A. > PHD2 > ASCOM

Processing: PixInsight > Photoshop >Topaz > Photoshop

Northfield, OH

Oct 2, 23, 28 2022

Equipment--

Telescope: Explore Scientific ED 80, field flattener (no reducer), 480mm focal length

Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6R-Pro

Camera: ZWO ASI204MC-Pro

Guide scope: Williams Optics 50mm guide scope

Guide camera: ZWO ASI120MM-S

Software: NINA, PHD2

Imaging--

Lights: 60x300s

Darks, Flats, DarkFlats, Bias: assorted

Sensor temp: -10.0

Filter: Optolong L-Pro 8x), no filter(30)

Sky: Bortle 6 (nominal)

Post processing--

Software: PixInsight, Photoshop

Well this is my first image since January this year and to get my Mojo back (could be a expensive way of doing it) I’m trying a new telescope with focal reducer to get over 2° field of view. This scope is a new/refurbished “Explore Scientific 102mm F7 APO Carbon” kindly on loan/test from Kerin at Telescope house with option to buy. I hope I’ve done the Telescope justice with my image.

Note:

I plan to be at the Herstmonceux astronomy festival between the 2nd & 4th Sep 2022 and can be found hanging around the Telescope House stand or the beer tent later in the day.

IC 1396A also commonly known as the “Elephant’s Trunk Nebula” is a star forming region some 2,400 Light Years from earth. The bright rim is the surface of the dense cloud that is being illuminated and ionized by a bright, massive star. The Nebula is now thought to containing several very young stars less than 100,000 yr old.

EQUIPMENT:-

Explore Scientific 102mm F7 APO Carbon

Explore Scientific 0.7 Focal Reducer

Skywatcher AZ-EQ6 GT

ZWO ASI1600mm-Cool cmos camera

Orion Mini Auto Guide

Astronomik 6nm Ha Filter

Astronomik 6nm Oiii Filter

Chip Temp Cooled to -20 degC

IMAGING DETAILS:-

IC1396A Elephant's Trunk Nebula (Cepheus)

Gain 139 (Unit Gain)

Dithering

36 Ha subs@240sec (2h 24min)

30 Oiii subs@240sec (2h 00min)

Total imaging Time 4h 24min

20 Darks

25 Flats

PROCESSING/GUIDING SOFTWARE:-

APT "Astro Photograph Tools"

DSS

PS CS2

IC 1396 is an open star cluster embedded in a galactic nebula. The entire complex, often called the Elephant's Trunk Nebula, is a diffuse emission nebula. It is located in the constellation Cepheus and is about 2400 light years from Earth.

The nebula is huge, so it takes about 150 years for light to travel through it.

The entire area is crisscrossed by countless globules, dust knots and dark nebulae that barely let any light through. The most dramatic part of this is the Elephant's Trunk Nebula (IC 1396A, VdB142) in the lower part of the image.

Lacerta 72/432, reducer 0,79x

IOptron SkyGuider Pro

Nikon D5500 modified

Optolong L-eNhance

Guiding w. MGEN-2

SIRIL / GraXpert / Photoshop

67x 2 min. @ ISO 3.200

Taken over two nights. Elephant Trunk Nebula processed in SHO in Pixinsight.

The Elephant's Trunk Nebula is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust within the much larger ionized gas region IC 1396 located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth.

Distance to Earth: 2,400 light years

Distance: 2,400 ly

(Wikipedia)

Details:

Device: Dwarf3

Filter: Astro & Duo-Band

Focus: AF

Tracking: EQ Mode

Integration time: 9.20 hours

Each frames: 30 sec

Gain: 60

Darks: 40 frames

Bortle 5/6

Programs: PixInsight, BlurX, NoiseX, StarX, Photoshop

I wasn't quite happy with how the original version of this image turned out, so I decided to start all over with it using a new tool called BlurXTerminator, which works to deconvolve astro images using AI that has been fed data from the Hubble and James Webb telescopes for reference models (this is super interesting because these telescopes shoot from outside our atmosphere and therefore have a clearer view of the stars without the distortions of our atmosphere - among other things) - it's crazy such a thing exists. Anyway, I also processed the image using a Hubble palette, instead of the Ha / Oiii palette, which results in a more pleasing coloration (in my opinion). Anyway, here's the new version!

This is the Elephant Trunk Nebula setting behind Scott mountain here in East Tennessee. The scene is shot entirely at 300mm and is astronomically accurate.

**STARLESS VERSION OF THE ELEPHANT'S TRUNK NEBULA**

Well this is my first image since January this year and to get my Mojo back (could be a expensive way of doing it) I’m trying a new telescope with focal reducer to get over 2° field of view. This scope is a new/refurbished “Explore Scientific 102mm F7 APO Carbon” kindly on loan/test from Kerin at Telescope house with option to buy. I hope I’ve done the Telescope justice with my image.

Note:

I plan to be at the Herstmonceux astronomy festival between the 2nd & 4th Sep 2022 and can be found hanging around the Telescope House stand or the beer tent later in the day.

IC 1396A also commonly known as the “Elephant’s Trunk Nebula” is a star forming region some 2,400 Light Years from earth. The bright rim is the surface of the dense cloud that is being illuminated and ionized by a bright, massive star. The Nebula is now thought to containing several very young stars less than 100,000 yr old.

EQUIPMENT:-

Explore Scientific 102mm F7 APO Carbon

Explore Scientific 0.7 Focal Reducer

Skywatcher AZ-EQ6 GT

ZWO ASI1600mm-Cool cmos camera

Orion Mini Auto Guide

Astronomik 6nm Ha Filter

Astronomik 6nm Oiii Filter

Chip Temp Cooled to -20 degC

IMAGING DETAILS:-

IC1396A Elephant's Trunk Nebula (Cepheus)

Gain 139 (Unit Gain)

Dithering

36 Ha subs@240sec (2h 24min)

30 Oiii subs@240sec (2h 00min)

Total imaging Time 4h 24min

20 Darks

25 Flats

PROCESSING/GUIDING SOFTWARE:-

APT "Astro Photograph Tools"

DSS

PS CS2

Fighting against the billowing fog, I am still very pleased with the H-alpha and S-II narrowband data I was able to get.

Taking with the SIGMA fp (monochrome) / SIGMA fp L / Celestron RASA 11" / 10 Micron GM1000 Mount.

Total acquisition time ca. 2.5 hrs, ISO 1600, F2.2, 620mm

The narrowband results are distributed into R/G/B as S/HS/H

Registration in AstroPixelProcessor further processing to taste in Photoshop.

100% View: markjamesford.prodibi.com/a/rd6jv5qzrx67079/i/1zllm5l1jmw...

A beautiful area of the sky located in the constellation Cepheus. This wide field image includes the Elephant Trunk nebula, Barnard 169, Barnard 171, and the Garnet Star.

Taken with a QHY 533C, Rokinon 135mm f/2 (at f/2.2), mounted on a Sky Adventurer GTi. 90x2 min subs gives a total integration time of 3 hours.

سديم جذع الفيل هو سديم غازي باعث للضوءو يوجد في وسطه حواضن لتكوين النجوم. يوجد هذا السديم في وسط اسفل الصورة و يبعد عنا ٢٥٠٠ سنه ضؤية. و يقدر طول هذا السديم الى ٢٠ سنه ضؤيةو يقع في كوكبة سيفيوس This nebula is emission nebula that lies in Cepheus constellation. The distance from Earth is about 2,500 light years. The elephant trunk nebula is located in the middle down of the photo which is about 20 ly in length. Gear setup: iOptron Sky Guider pro unguided, WO Redcat 51 f/4.9, Radian Triad 2”, ZWO 2400MC cooled @ -10, ZWO ASIAir, Pegasus PPB. Captured by: APT, Stacked in APP & Processed in PI & PS. You can visit my Youtube channel for the complete imaging trip for this nebula: youtu.be/lvFIsdkH-w0

Baader Modified Canon 6D

Canon 500mm f/4 L IS @ f/4

ISO1600

75x5 minute subs

Avalon Instruments M-Zero mount.

09 October 2015

Imaged just outside Horncastle in Lincolnshire.

The Elephant Trunc Nebula (IC1396A, golden version) is about 2400 lightyears away. Narrowband image with 36 mm Baader filters:

Ha 18 x 240s

OIII 13 x 240s

SII 13 x 240 s

TS 130/910 APO with 0.79x reducer, ASI1600mmpro.

Processing with Astro Pixel Processor and Photoshop CC2019.

The Elephant's Trunk Nebula is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust within the much larger ionized gas region IC 1396 located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth.

On this wide field image the, elephant trunk is the darker region in the lower third of the image with a lighter rim around it’s dark form. The lighter rim is the surface of the dense cloud that is being illuminated and ionised by a very bright, massive star HD 206267

Taken over three nights at the observatory in Los Coloraos, Gorafe, Spain.

A much higher resolution image with imaging details can be found on my Astrobin page at: astrob.in/k5rioo/0/

Thank you for looking.

Technical summary:

Captured: 3 nights in June 2024

Location: Turismo Astronómico, Los Coloraos, Gorafe, Spain

Bortle Class: 3

Exposures: 90 x 600s Gain 100 BIN 1

Total Integration: 15h

Filters: Optolong L-Ultimate

Pixel Scale: 0.7 arcsec/pixel

Telescope: Skywatcher Esprit 100ED

Image Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro

Mount: Skywatcher EQ 6R Pro

Capture software: NINA, PHD2

Editing software: PixInsight, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop

The Elephant Trunk nebula (IC1396)

QHY268M first light

I haven’t done much deep sky recently I’ve been busy selling some of my equipment tho so I could buy the QHY268m and this is first light with the new camera. Really pleased with how it’s performed on my first go at it and looking forward to trying the other shooting modes that it has.

Equipment Used;

QHY268m

Lacerta 200/800 photo Newtonian

QHYFW2

Baader Narrowband filters

Celestron CGX Mount

Capture details;

36 x 300 seconds Ha

36 x 300 seconds OIII

36 x 300 seconds SII

24 x darks

Software used;

PHD2, SGP, Photoshop & Pixinsight

IC1396A - Elephant Trunk Nebula

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Located in the constellation Cepheus, at a distance of about 2400 light-years from Earth, IC1396 is an emission nebula with a diameter of over 100 light-years, the gas that forms it being crossed by cosmic dust filaments, more or less dense, these blocking the light emitted by the nebula, thus creating various dark shapes that contrast with the glow of the gas. One of these shapes represents the main subject of the attached image, being at the same time the only one that received a popular name, besides the catalog name. This is the Elephant's Trunk and represents an irregular column of cosmic dust that stretches over a distance of about 20 light-years, being also the main region of the nebula where the new stars are born.

In terms of astrophotography, although it is a well-known nebula, the Elephant Trunk is a target with a medium degree of difficulty, with long exposures and the use of narrowband filters being necessary to end up with a decent result.

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Equipment and settings:

Mount: Skywatcher EQ6R Pro

Telescope: Explore Scientific 102ED + 0.75 APM Riccardi reducer.

Camera: ASI 533MM Pro

Astrodon SHO filters.

Total exposure: 9h40’

Edit in Pixinsight.

Location: my Bortle 6+ backyard

Photographed from my backyard 2400 years later.

Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, Calif

July 2022

Wiki Link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant%27s_Trunk_Nebula

For the techies:

Scope: SVX130T 935mm f/7 Camera: ASI2600MC

Mount: EQ6R Pro Filters: L-Extreme

Moon Phase: waxing 80%

Lights: 07-09-22: 100 @ 180” 100 gain, -10deg

07-10-22: 100 @ 180” 100 gain, -10deg

Total Integration: 10 hrs

Darks: MD Flats: MF 3.8” Dark Flats: MDF 3.8”

Stacked in APP, processed in Pixinsight and PS

Location: Lynchburg Virginia

This is a hydrogen alpha emission nebula called IC1396 and also known as the Elephant Trunk Nebula. You can see the trunk pointing upwards at the center of the image. This nebula can be found quite easily in a telescope if you can locate the Garnet star.

I have been shooting this target for several nights from my backyard. I am under suburban skies, the darkest my skies get is about mag 20.6 at around 2am.

I have been testing the ASI Air Plus and it has made automating image sessions night after night a very easy task.

This is actually a partial mosaic to fit the large nebula on the frame from 2 panels.

This is 21.33 hours of data

128 x 600s subs

Camera: ASI 2600MC at 0c

Gain 100

Filter: No Filter Used

Scope: Sharpstar 76EDPH with Reducer 342mm F4.5

Mount: iOptron Cem25

The Elephant Trunc Nebula IV 1396a is part of a region of ionized gas (IC 1396) about 1400 ly away.

Pentax K3ii (unmod.) and TS 130/910 refractor.

50 x 180 s at Iso 1600.

DSS, PS and LR.

Here is a small clip from a larger view of IC 1396 in the constellation Cepheus called the Elephant Trunk Nebula. The Elephant Trunk Nebula is about 2,400 light years from Earth and stretches for over 20 light years. This area is also a star forming region containing over 250 young stars both in it, and around it.

Tech Specs: Williams Optics REDCAT51, ZWO ASI071mc-Pro running at 0C, Sky-Watcher EQ6R-Pro mount, Optolong L-eNhance filter (2”), 32 x 300 seconds (2hr40min), guided using a ZWO 30mm f/4 mini guide scope and ZWO 120 Mini, controlled with a ZWO ASIAir Pro running v1.5 software, stacked in DSS and processed using PixInsight and Adobe Lightroom. Image date: September 19th and 20th, 2020. Location: The Dark Side Observatory, Weatherly, PA, USA.

For black and white Wednesday - This is the luminosity channel of the Elephant Trunk Nebula image I posted earlier today. As I wanted to show off the structures of this nebula, this is a starless image, illustrating only the dust clouds that exist there. Isn't it wild that things like this exist?

This is the faint emission nebula designated as IC 1396 in the constellation Cepheus. This region is energized by the bright, bluish central multiple star HD 206267. You can see the Elephant’s Trunk Nebula, IC 1396A, on the lower edge of this image. From NASA APOD, “Stars could still be forming inside the dark shapes by gravitational collapse. But as the denser clouds are eroded away by powerful stellar winds and radiation, any forming stars will ultimately be cutoff from the reservoir of star stuff.”

Tech Specs: William Optics REDCAT 51 Telescope, ZWO ASI071MC camera running at 0F and Optolong L-eXtreme 2” Filter, 5 Hours and 35 Minutes using 5-minute subs, Sky-Watcher EQ6R-Pro mount, ZWO EAF (ProAstroGear Black-CAT) and ASIAir Pro, guided using a ZWO 30mm f/4 mini guide scope and ZWO 120 mini, processed in PixInsight. Image Date: August 3, 2025. Location: The Dark Side Observatory (W59), Weatherly, PA, USA (Bortle Class 4).

The Elephant Trunc Nebula (IC1396A, red version) is about 2400 lightyears away. Narrowband image with 36 mm Baader filters:

Ha 18 x 240s

OIII 13 x 240s

SII 13 x 240 s

TS 130/910 APO with 0.79x reducer, ASI1600mmpro.

Processing with Astro Pixel Processor and Photoshop CC2019.

IC1396, a large region of ionised gas containing the Elephant's Trunk Nebula (top right of centre - a concentration of interstellar gas and dust) and the Garnet Star (large red star top left), located in the constellation Cepheus about 2400 light years away from Earth. The Garnet Star is 1000 times larger and 100000 times brighter than the Sun!

ZWO ASI 2600MC Pro, gain 100, cooled to -10degC

William Optics GT81 with Flat 6AIII

Optolong L-eXtreme filter

ASIAir Pro

HEQ5 Pro mount guided

ZWO EAF

82 x 180s lights

40 darks

80 flats

80 dark flats

Stacked in DSS, processed in Photoshop and finished in Lightroom

Bortle 4 skies

Here is a wide field view of IC 1396 and the Elephant Trunk Nebula in the constellation Cepheus. The section called the Elephant Trunk Nebula is on the bottom and is an active star forming region. This emission nebula is about 2,400 light years away from Earth. This represents three hours of exposure time.

Tech Specs: Tech Specs: Williams Optics Redcat 51 APO, Celestron CGEM-DX mount, Canon 6D stock camera, Optolong L-eNhance 2” filter, ISO 3200, 36 x 300 second exposures with dark/bias frames, guided using a ZWO ASI290MC and Orion 60mm guide scope. Image date: October 24, 2019 and November 2, 2019. Location: The Dark Side Observatory, Weatherly, PA, USA.

IC1396, a large region of ionised gas containing the Elephant's Trunk Nebula (top right of centre - a concentration of interstellar gas and dust) and the Garnet Star (large red star top left), located in the constellation Cepheus about 2400 light years away from Earth. The Garnet Star is 1000 times larger and 100000 times brighter than the Sun!

ZWO ASI 2600MC Pro, gain 100, cooled to 0degC

William Optics GT81 with Flat 6AIII

Optolong L-eNhance filter

ASIAir Pro guided

HEQ5 Pro mount

50 x 180s lights

40 darks

40 flats

80 bias

Stacked in DSS and processed in Photoshop

Bortle 4 skies

Had half a clear night the other night (albeit with a 90% moon) for the first time since the beginning of October which gave me time to do this. I was hoping to do Olll in the same session but after 2 subs the clouds rolled back in, so that's on the back burner.

ED80 with 0.85 reducer, HEQ5 pro

Cooled mono Canon 450D

Astronomik 12nm Ha filter

10 x 1200 seconds iso 1600

Calibrated and stacked in Nebulosity

Processed with Straton and CS5

The Elephant Trunk Nebula is a stunning cosmic structure located within the IC 1396 region, approximately 2,400 light-years away in the constellation Cepheus. The image likely captures the dark, sinuous column of interstellar gas and dust resembling an elephant's trunk, winding through a rich star field. The nebula is illuminated by bright, massive stars nearby, whose radiation causes the surrounding gas to glow, creating striking contrasts between light and shadow.

Here are a few facts about the Elephant Trunk Nebula:

Star Formation: This region is an active star-forming area. The dense clouds within the "trunk" are collapsing under gravity, potentially giving birth to new stars.

Size: The entire structure is about 20 light-years long.

Esprit 120mm, QHY268M, Optolong 3nm filters

35hrs integration, Starfront Observatory

A portion of the star-forming nebula IC 1396, or the Elephant Trunk Nebula in the constellation Cepheus. 3-panel mosaic, each 20 300 sec. exposures (5 hours total exposure). Explore Scientific 102mm f/7 refractor, ZWO ASI294MC camera, dual narrow-band fillter (H-alpha and [O III]), iOptron CEM25P mount, ASIAir Pro controller, processed in Astro Pixel Processor and Lightroom.

The Elephant Trunc Nebula IC1396A is a part of a bigger emission nebula with an embedded star cluster (IC 1396) in the constellation Kepheus.

The image was made with a vintage lens from the early 70s - the Zeiss Sonnar "Zebra" 180/2.8 lens attached to an ASI1600mmp.

21 x 300s H-alpha at F/4.0 with a Baader 7nm filter.

The Elephant Trunc Nebula IC1396A is a part of a bigger emission nebula with an embedded star cluster (IC 1396) in the constellation Kepheus.

The image was made with a vintage lens from the early 70s - the Zeiss Sonnar "Zebra" 180/2.8 lens attached to an ASI1600mmp.

21 x 300s H-alpha at F/4.0 with a Baader 7nm filter.

40 x 30 s R/G/B for the colors.

The Elephant's Trunk nebula is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust within the much larger ionized gas region IC 1396 located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth. The piece of the nebula shown here is the dark, dense globule IC 1396A; it is commonly called the Elephant's Trunk nebula because of its appearance at visible light wavelengths, where there is a dark patch with a bright, sinuous rim. The bright rim is the surface of the dense cloud that is being illuminated and ionized by a very bright, massive star (HD 206267) that is just to the west of IC 1396A. The entire IC 1396 region is ionized by the massive star, except for dense globules that can protect themselves from the star's harsh ultraviolet rays.

The Elephant's Trunk nebula is now thought to be a site of star formation, containing several very young (less than 100,000 yr) stars that were discovered in infrared images in 2003. Two older (but still young, a couple of million years, by the standards of stars, which live for billions of years) stars are present in a small, circular cavity in the head of the globule. Winds from these young stars may have emptied the cavity.

The combined action of the light from the massive star ionizing and compressing the rim of the cloud, and the wind from the young stars shifting gas from the center outward lead to very high compression in the Elephant's Trunk nebula. This pressure has triggered the current generation of protostars.

Stunning emission nebula IC 1396 mixes glowing cosmic gas and dark dust clouds in the high and far off constellation of Cepheus. Energized by the bright central star seen here, this star forming region sprawls across hundreds of light-years, spanning over three degrees on the sky while nearly 3,000 light-years from planet Earth. Among the intriguing dark shapes within IC 1396, the winding Elephant's Trunk nebula lies just below center. Stars could still be forming inside the dark shapes by gravitational collapse. But as the denser clouds are eroded away by powerful stellar winds and radiation, any forming stars will ultimately be cutoff from the reservoir of star stuff. The gorgeous color view is a composition of image data from narrowband filters, mapping emission from the nebula's atomic oxygen, hydrogen, and sulfur into blue, green, and red hues.

source: APOD NASA

Hubble Palette version (SHO): H-Alpha mapped to green, SII mapped to red and OIII mapped to the blue channel. while the colors in this image are not the true colors, the narrowband filters were used create the nebula color.

Stars have been added in true colors using R, G, B filters

RA: 21h 36m 24.6s

DEC: +57° 32’ 13.3"

Size: 113 x 55.9 arcmin

Orientation: Up is 183 degrees E of N

Location: Cepheus

Distance : 2,400 ly

Magnitude: 5,59

Acquisition 2021-07

Total acquisition time of 13.1 hours.

Technical Details

Data acquisition: Terry HANCOCK

Processing: Nicolas ROLLAND

Location: The Grand Mesa Observatory, Whitewater, CO

L: 47 x 120s

R: 48 x 120s

G: 46 x 120s

B: 42 x 120s

Ha: 28 x 300s

OIII: 29 x 300s

SII: 27 x 300s

Optics: Takahashi FSQ130

Mount: Paramount ME

Camera: QHY600M CMOS

Pre Processing: CCDstack, Pixinsight & Excalibrator

Post Processing: Photoshop CC

The Elephant's Trunk nebula is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust in the star cluster IC 1396 – an ionized gas region located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth. The piece of the nebula shown above is the dark, dense globule IC 1396A; it is commonly called the Elephant's Trunk nebula because of its appearance at visible light wavelengths, where there is a dark patch with a bright, sinuous rim. The bright rim is the surface of the dense cloud that is being illuminated and ionized by a very bright, massive star that is just to the west of IC 1396A. The entire IC 1396 region is ionized by the massive star, except for dense globules that can protect themselves from the star's harsh ultraviolet rays.(Explore Scientific ED127, ZWO ASI2600MM, ASIAIR, EAF, EFW, AM5, Antlia SHO 3nm, Pixinsight, Photoshop).

A wide field view of IC 1396 nebula that contains the "Elephant's Trunk Nebula". The Elephant's Trunk Nebula is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust within the much larger ionised gas region of IC 1396 located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth. In this wide view, the Elephant's Trunk is centred in the lower half of the image.

14 nights of imaging

October 14,15,24,28 2021

November 3,4,5,6,7,8,10,11,12,13 2021

Imaging locations

My home in Gérgal, Almeria, Spain. Elevation 720m

Negratín reservoir, Granada, Spain. Elevation 680m

Bortle class 4 - 5 at both locations

Exposures and filters

Sii - 152 x 300 seconds = 12.5 hours

Oiii - 178 x 300 seconds = 14.8 hours

Ha - 137 x 300 seconds = 11.4 hours

Total integration time: 38.7 hours

Equipment

Telescope: William Optics GT81 with x0.8 reducer / field flattener

Focal length: 385mm at f/4.7

Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI6200 MM Pro at full frame (62 Mpx) -5C

Autofocus: PegasusAstro focus cube V2

Filters: ZWO 2" 7nm Ha, Sii and Oiii

Guide scope: William Optics off axis guider

Guide camera: ZWO ASI120MM Mini

Telescope mount: Celestron CGX

Capture computer: PrimaLuce Labs EAGLE 4

Software: N.I.N.A, PHD 2, Sharpcap Pro, PixInsight, Topaz Labs, Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop

#IC1396 #ElephantTrunkNebula #astrophotography #deepspace #narrowband

Stunning emission nebula IC 1396 mixes glowing cosmic gas and dark dust clouds in the high and far off constellation of Cepheus. Energized by the bright central star seen here, this star forming region sprawls across hundreds of light-years, spanning over three degrees on the sky while nearly 3,000 light-years from planet Earth. Among the intriguing dark shapes within IC 1396, the winding Elephant's Trunk nebula lies just below center. Stars could still be forming inside the dark shapes by gravitational collapse. But as the denser clouds are eroded away by powerful stellar winds and radiation, any forming stars will ultimately be cutoff from the reservoir of star stuff. The gorgeous color view is a composition of image data from narrowband filters, mapping emission from the nebula's atomic oxygen, hydrogen, and sulfur into blue, green, and red hues.

source: APOD NASA

Hubble Palette version (SHO): H-Alpha mapped to green, SII mapped to red and OIII mapped to the blue channel. while the colors in this image are not the true colors, the narrowband filters were used create the nebula color.

Stars have been added in true colors using R, G, B filters

RA: 21h 36m 24.6s

DEC: +57° 32’ 13.3"

Size: 113 x 55.9 arcmin

Orientation: Up is 183 degrees E of N

Location: Cepheus

Distance : 2,400 ly

Magnitude: 5,59

Acquisition 2021-07

Total acquisition time of 13.1 hours.

Technical Details

Data acquisition: Terry HANCOCK

Processing: Nicolas ROLLAND

Location: The Grand Mesa Observatory, Whitewater, CO

L: 47 x 120s

R: 48 x 120s

G: 46 x 120s

B: 42 x 120s

Ha: 28 x 300s

OIII: 29 x 300s

SII: 27 x 300s

Optics: Takahashi FSQ130

Mount: Paramount ME

Camera: QHY600M CMOS

Pre Processing: CCDstack, Pixinsight & Excalibrator

Post Processing: Photoshop CC

IC 1396 Elephant Trunk Nebula, star-forming HII region in Cepheus.

2x3 mosaic, Explore Scientific 102mm f/7 refractor, ZWO ASI294MC camera, dual narrow-band fillter (H-alpha and [O III]), iOptron CEM25P mount, ASIAir Pro controller, processed in Astro Pixel Processor and Lightroom.

The Elephant's Trunk nebula is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust in the star cluster IC 1396 – an ionized gas region located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth. The piece of the nebula shown above is the dark, dense globule IC 1396A; it is commonly called the Elephant's Trunk nebula because of its appearance at visible light wavelengths, where there is a dark patch with a bright, sinuous rim. The bright rim is the surface of the dense cloud that is being illuminated and ionized by a very bright, massive star that is just to the west of IC 1396A. The entire IC 1396 region is ionized by the massive star, except for dense globules that can protect themselves from the star's harsh ultraviolet rays.(Explore Scientific ED127, ZWO ASI2600MM, ASIAIR, EAF, EFW, AM5, Antlia SHO 3nm, Pixinsight, Photoshop).

This should be the Lectern Microphone Nebula …..or. The Menacing Tadpole Nebula. About the composition: Framing a nearly invisible object presents problems. Sure 5 minute exposures reveal most detail required to frame the primary target but only after processing are subtle structural features made obvious. As all imagers know…..the sky soon disagrees with my task requiring clarity and two more nights of imaging won’t be for a long while so I can’t overwhelm the existing data with new data that better displays the tower/pillar formation’s base. Oh come on….just a little pan a little …..but yay anyway!

The Elephant's Trunk nebula is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust in the star cluster IC 1396 – an ionized gas region located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth. The piece of the nebula shown above is the dark, dense globule IC 1396A; it is commonly called the Elephant's Trunk nebula because of its appearance at visible light wavelengths, where there is a dark patch with a bright, sinuous rim. The bright rim is the surface of the dense cloud that is being illuminated and ionized by a very bright, massive star that is just to the west of IC 1396A. The entire IC 1396 region is ionized by the massive star, except for dense globules that can protect themselves from the star's harsh ultraviolet rays.(Explore Scientific ED127, ZWO ASI2600MM, ASIAIR, EAF, EFW, AM5, Antlia SHO 3nm, Pixinsight, Photoshop).

It'd been awhile since I'd been astrophotographing - felt great to be out under the stars and a smokeless sky. Fall is a excellent time for widefield astrophotography in the western US - there's a decent amount of astronomic dark, plenty of clear nights, temperatures aren't too cold, and quite a few interesting widefield subjects are available.

My goal with this small mosaic (only 2 panels) was to capture both the Fireworks Galaxy (NGC 6946, tiny here, bottom left) and the Elephant Trunk Nebula (IC 1396) in the same extent, with all of the interesting nebulosity in between, most notably the dark nebula Barnard 150 (AKA the Seahorse Nebula) in the lower left, one of my favs.

Surprisingly, I didn't detect much of the red emission Flying Bat Nebula (Sh2-129, center), part of which actually appears bluish (?, at first I was excited that I might have detected the Giant Squid Nebula (OU4), but nope, the blue is not in the right place). Previously I had captured Sh2-129, albeit faintly, with this same set up in the same location.

Part of the reason for this is that I stopped my Samyang 135mm down a half stop to f 2.4 (which I usually shoot wide open at f 2), not to tighten up stars, but to flatten out the heavy vignetting a tad. It did make a difference, but I did also notice that the Elephant Trunk Nebula didn't show up as strongly as expected based on my previous imaging of it. I'm still undecided whether I'll stay with f2 or move to f2.4, might depend on the subject.

There is a decent amount of what appears to be blue reflection nebulosity around star HD 198793 in the upper left quadrant; looking at widefield images of others, I can also see this faintly, but I haven't been able to find any closer images of it yet and it isn't cataloged in my astronomy app (SkySafari 6 Plus). It's possibly a processing artifact although it doesn't appear to be one.

Acquisition details: Fujifilm X-T10; Samyang 135mm f/2.0 ED UMC @ f2.4, ISO 1600; tracking with iOptron SkyTracker Pro; two panel mosaic - 42 x 60 sec and 44 x 60 sec; stacking with DeepSkyStacker; editing and mosaicking with Astro Pixel Processor; and curves adjustment/star reduction/editing with GIMP; taken on Aug. 31, 2021 under Bortle 3/4 skies.

The Elephant Trunk Nebula in the larger ionized gas region, IC 1396, is always a fun and recognizable target this time of the year.

Up in Smoke...

The Elephant's Trunk Nebula is a dense region of gas and dust seen in silhouette against a larger emission nebula. At the top of this object is a “globule” - a sphere of compressed material where star formation is actively proceeding. At the center of this body can be seen a pair of newborn stars whose stellar wind has cleared a small region within the globule. Also seen inside this clearing is a tiny emission nebula.

A blazing blue star above the elephant’s trunk (outside this image) is also blowing its own storm of stellar wind. This hurricane has torn material from the globule which is seen streaming toward the lower part of the image. This same stellar wind is inducing the leading edge of the globule to glow.

The Elephant’s Trunk Nebula lies 2,500 light years distant in the direction of the constellation of Cepheus, the king.

This image was captured under high desert skies near Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA with a telescope of 12" aperture at f/4.5 and an electrically-cooled CCD camera. This false-colored image was taken through hydrogen-alpha (green), oxygen-III (blue), and Sulfur-II (red) narrow-band filters.

This is the Elephant Trunk region of a much larger nebula known non-poetically as IC1396, which lies 3000 light years distant in the constellation Cepheus. The bright blue star near the left edge of the image is HD 206267 is responsible for the energizing the dust and glass in the area. The stellar winds compress the molecular cloud into thin edges, and the intense radiation ionizes it forming bright filaments and fascinating structures.

This image was taken with a Stellarvue SVS130 telescope and an SBIG STL-4020M CCD camera. Hydrogen-alpha was used as the red channel, while the blue and green channels are Oxygen-III. The image was processed in MaximDL and Photoshop, and was upsampled 1.5x

The Elephant Trunk nebula is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust within the much larger ionized gas region IC1396.

SHO-combined

R : SII

G : Ha

B : OIII

Shooting Location :

* 51° N 3° E

* bortle class 5 backyard

Object Information

* Type : Emission Nebula

* Magnitude : 3.5

* Location (J2000.0): RA 21h 34m 58s / DEC +57° 30' 09"

* Approximate distance : 735 parsecs / 2.400 lightyears

Hardware

* Mount : Celestron CGX

* Imaging Scope : Sky-Watcher Explorer 150PDS

* Imaging Camera : ZWO ASI 183MM

* Filter Wheel : ZWO EFW 7*36mm + Baader Ha 7nm, Baader OIII 8.5nm + Baader SII 8.5nm + Baader LRGB

* Coma Corrector : Baader MPCC III

* Guide Scope : Sky-Watcher StarTravel 80

* Guide Camera : ZWO ASI 120MM

Exposures

* Single Exposure Length : 180sec

* Sensor Temperature : -20°C

* Gain : 111

* Offset : 10

* Light Frames :

> Baader Ha : 83

> Baader OIII : 56

> Baaser SII : 48

* Bias Frames : 100

* Dark Frames : 50

* Flat Frames : 100/channel

* Flat Dark Frames : 50/channel

* Total Integration Time : 9h21m

* Capture Dates : 2018-08-31 & 2018-09-01

Capture Software

* Sequence Generator Pro

* PHD2 Guiding

Processing Software

* PixInsight

* Adobe Photoshop

Elephant Trunk Nebula captured during full moon from Farmoor, Oxford, UK. 21-10-2021.

The Elephant's Trunk Nebula is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust within the much larger ionized gas region IC 1396 located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth. It is commonly called the Elephant's Trunk nebula because of its appearance at visible light wavelengths, where there is a dark patch with a bright, sinuous rim. The bright rim is the surface of the dense cloud that is being illuminated and ionized by a very bright, massive star (HD 206267) that is just to the east of IC 1396A. The entire IC 1396 region is ionized by the massive star, except for dense globules that can protect themselves from the star's harsh ultraviolet rays.

The Elephant's Trunk Nebula is now thought to be a site of star formation, containing several very young (less than 100,000 yr) stars that were discovered in infrared images in 2003. Two older (but still young, a couple of million years, by the standards of stars, which live for billions of years) stars are present in a small, circular cavity in the head of the globule. Winds from these young stars may have emptied the cavity.

The combined action of the light from the massive star ionizing and compressing the rim of the cloud, and the wind from the young stars shifting gas from the center outward lead to very high compression in the Elephant's Trunk Nebula. This pressure has triggered the current generation of protostars.

4hrs 15mins intergration, 10x480-10x420-10x300 L-Exstreme + 5x600 HA.

WO Z61ii - ASI294MCPro - SWNEQ6-R-Pro - Nina - Stellarium - PH2 - DSS - Photoshop.

The Elephant’s Trunk Nebula is over 20 lightyears long and can be found running through IC 1396, a young star cluster embedded within a cloud of glowing, ionised gas in the Cepheus constellation.

This Nebula is composed of cool interstellar dust and gas, which blocks out light on its way to Earth and leaves behind a long thin silhouette that gives the nebula its name.

The IC 1396 complex is located about 3,000 lightyears away and covers an apparent width of over 10 full Moons in the sky.

Camera : ZWO ASI 533 MC

Main Scope : William Optics Redcat 51

Guide Camera : ZWO ASI 120MM Mini

Guide Scope : ZWO Mini Guide Scope

Mount : Skywatcher AZ GTI

Filter : Optolong L-Extreme

Others : ZWO ASIAIR PRO

Lights : 59 x 300 sec (Total : 4h55)

Darks : 60 ~ Offset: 100 ~ Flats: 100

I’ve done this one before but thought I would give it another go and collect more data. Not totally happy as the data was not obtained under the best condition with some high level cloud and some of the data was so bad I had to scrap it. As a consequence I had to limit my sharpening (using a mask) to only the brighter and more detailed areas.

IC 1396A also commonly known as the “Elephant Trunk Nebula” is a star forming region some 2,400 Light Years from earth. The bright rim is the surface of the dense cloud that is being illuminated and ionized by a bright, massive star. The Nebula is now thought to containing several very young stars less than 100,000 yr old.

EQUIPMENT:-

Telescope Meade 6000 115mm and AZ-EQ6 GT

ZWO ASI1600mm-Cool cmos camera

Orion Mini Auto Guide

Astronomik 12nm Ha Filter

Astronomik 6nm Oiii Filter

Chip Temp Cooled to -20 degC

IMAGING DETAILS:-

IC1396A Elephant Trunk Nebula (Cepheus)

Gain 139 (Unit Gain)

Dithering

35 Ha subs@360sec (3h 30min)

30 Oiii subs@360sec (3h 00min)

Total imaging Time 6h 30min

20 Darks

25 Flats

PROCESSING/GUIDING SOFTWARE:-

APT "Astro Photograph Tools"

DSS

PS CS2

IC 1396, a complex, dynamic region of star formation in the constellation Cepheus also called the Elephant Trunk Nebula for the prominent column left of center. That's a region of denser material being eroded and energized by nearby hot stars. The image was made in the light of hydrogen, from suburban Bloomington, Indiana.

90 total exposures, 6 min. each (total 9 hours) in six overlapping tiles. Explore Scientific ED102 102mm f/7 refractor, 0.8x reducer/flattener, ZWO ASI2600MM Pro monochrome CMOS camera, 7nm H-alpha filter, iOptron CEM25P mount, ASIAir controller, auto-guided. Processed in Astro Pixel Processor and Lightroom.

#Astrophotography #DeepSky

The Elephant's Trunk Nebula is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust within the much larger ionized gas region IC 1396 located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth. The piece of the nebula shown here is the dark, dense globule IC 1396A; it is commonly called the Elephant's Trunk nebula because of its appearance at visible light wavelengths, where there is a dark patch with a bright, sinuous rim.

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Acquired on: 21-23-24 June 2020

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Telescope: William Optics GT-81 IV

Camera: ASI1600MM-Cool

Mount: Celestron CGEM-DX

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Filters:

Baader Planetarium Ha - 106x120

Baader Planetarium OIII - 100x120

Baader Planetarium SII - 85x120

Total integration: 9h 42min

Sky Darkness = Bortle 7