IC 1396 

EMISSION NEBULA COMPLEX IN CEPHEUS (THE KING OF AETHIOPIA)

 (Image Centred at ra 21h:39m / dec +57:36)

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR A HIGHER RESOLUTION VIEW

Image data acquired by Jim Misti, Image processing by Sergio Eguivar

Arizona, USA

DATA

Type: Cluster associated with nebulosity

Apparent Magnitude:3.5

Apparent diameter: 170 arc minutes 

Distance: 2400 light years

IMAGE INFORMATION

Optics: Ritchey-Chretien 32" f 7.2 Telescope

CAMERA: SBIG STL 11000  

SKY CONDITIONS: Dark Skies

EXPOSURES: LRGB (60,15,15,15)

OBJECT DESCRIPTION AND IMAGE SESSION

The Elephant's Trunk Nebula (IC 1396A) 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 nebula is a dark, dense globule that gets its name from 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 multiple star (HD 206267) that is just to the east of the Elephant's Trunk Nebula . 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.