IC 1396 and vdb143 (Elephant's Trunk) in Cepheus

Imaged on 6/13/10
Scope:Takahashi Sky 90
Mount: Losmandy G-11 with Gemini
Camera: ST-10XME; CFW10 with Astrodon e-series Ha filter

Exposures: 135 min of hydrogen alpha (9 x 15 min subs) and 30 min each RGB (3 x 10 min sub exposures)
Site: Little Blair Valley, Anza Borrego Desert, CA
Conditions: 60 degrees, mild wind, average seeing

 

The Elephant's Trunk nebula is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust in the star cluster IC1396 and ionized gas region located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth. The Elephant Trunk nebula is now thought to be site of star formation, containing several very young (less than 100,000 yr) stars that were discovered in infrared images in 2003.