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IC5146 – Cocoon Nebula (SHO)

IC5146, commonly known as the Cocoon Nebula, is a remarkable astronomical complex located about 4,000 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus. It combines three different types of nebulae within the same region: an emission nebula, where gas ionised by young stars shines brightly; a reflection nebula, where interstellar dust scatters bluish starlight; and the dark nebula Barnard 168, which obscures the light and forms a long dark lane surrounding the complex. At its heart lies a very young open star cluster, making this region an active stellar nursery.

General information

Constellation
Cygnus
Category
Nebulae
Date
10 September 2024

Capture

Total time
7h 24min
Subframes
(24xHa / 24xOIII / 26xSII) × 360s bin1 + (16xR / 23xG / 27xB) × 30s bin1 per a les estrelles
Gain / Offset
125 / 30
Calibration
30 flat frames, 30 dark-flat frames and 40 library dark frames, without bias frames

Equipment

Telescope
TS102 f/5.6
Camera
ASI294MM at -10 °C
Filters
Ha, OIII and SII Astronomik, 6 nm
Mount
Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro with belt drive
Guiding
Guide scope, 60 mm f/4 + ASI224MC
Focuser
ZWO EAF
Filter wheel
ZWO EFW 7pos

Processing and environment

Processing
Stacked and post-processed with PixInsight 1.9.3
Acquisition
NINA
Location
l'Ampolla
Sky
Bortle 4

Additional versions

Full field of viewWide-field view of the Cocoon Nebula and its surrounding star field.
Annotated imageAnnotated image showing the main objects and structures within the field.