Elephant’s Trunk Nebula
About this image
IC 1396 – The Elephant Trunk Nebula Region
IC 1396 is a large emission nebula in the constellation Cepheus. It is a vast region of glowing hydrogen gas, dark dust, and active star formation, sitting around 2,400 light-years from Earth.
One of the most famous features within IC 1396 is the Elephant Trunk Nebula, a dark, twisting column of dust and gas that appears to reach into the brighter surrounding nebula. This structure is being shaped by the intense radiation from nearby young stars, slowly carving and sculpting the gas cloud over time.
For this image, I used the Optolong L-eNhance filter to help isolate the hydrogen-alpha and oxygen signal from the nebula. This was especially useful from light-polluted skies, as it helped bring out the deep red glow of the H-alpha regions while improving contrast against the background sky.
The red areas show clouds of ionised hydrogen, where energetic young stars are causing the surrounding gas to glow. These are stellar nurseries, places where new stars are forming inside the dust and gas. The darker lanes running through the nebula are dense clouds of material, blocking the light behind them and adding depth and structure to the image.
IC 1396 is a beautiful target because it combines both emission nebula and dark nebula detail. It is not just a glowing patch of gas, but a complex and active region where stars are being born and the surrounding cloud is being slowly reshaped by radiation and stellar winds.
Annotated image
Image details
| Object type | cluster associated with nebulosity |
|---|---|
| Catalogue | IC 1396, IC 1396 – SH 2-131 – LBN 451 – CR 439 – CED 195 – TR 37 |
| Constellation | Cepheus (Cep) |
| Observed | 2025 Aug 14 – 23:40 UTC |
| Location | Portsmouth, UK |
| Moon | Waning Crescent – 24% illuminated – age 24.7 days |
| WordPress categories | Not selected |
Equipment
| Telescope | William Optics RedCat 51 |
|---|---|
| Camera | ZWO ASI2600MC Pro |
| Mount | AM5 / Juwei 17 |
| Filter | Optolong L-eNhance |
| Focal length | 250mm |
| F-ratio | f/4.9 |
| Pixel scale | 3.1 arcsec/pixel |
Acquisition
| Exposure | 100 x 120s |
|---|---|
| Gain | 100 |
| Guiding RMS | <1.5 |
Observation notes
First attempt.
Processing notes
Stacked in Astro Pixel Processor, processed in PixInsight.
Posted from CityAstroLog.