IC1396

 

ic1396

Object:
IC1396 and The Elephant's Trunk Nebula.  This amazing high definition image reveals for the first time the true nature of this nebula.  The tall dark object, left left of center, is not an elephant's trunk as most cosmic imagers believe.  It is in fact some sort of alien standing in a flaming inferno (Dante's Inferno?).  He  appears to be quite at home there.  However, the 3 smaller figures in the lower right are in obvious distress, falling over, skin and flesh hanging from their arms.
Coordinates:
RA = 21h 39m, DEC = +57° 29'   (in Cepheus)
Telescope:
Televue NP-101 (4-inch f/5.4 APO refractor)
Mount:
Losmandy G11 German Equatorial
Guide Scope:
Orion Short Tube 80mm refractor
Guide Camera:
Orion StarShoot AutoGuider & PHD software
Imaging Camera:
QHY163M
Filters/Exposures:
Eight 10-minute exposures through Celestron LRGB filters, and eighteen 10-min exposures through Astrodon 5nm Ha filter (grand total 8-hours, 20-minutes).  Processed in MaximDL and Photoshop CS6
Shooting Location:
LRGB filters at Staunton River State Park, Scottburg, Virginia, and Ha filter in Virginia Beach.
Date/Time:
LRGB 21 October 2017  (UTC) and Ha 28 October 2017 (UTC)
Comments:
LRGB exposures were taken while I was attending the Staunton River Star Party hosted by the Chapel Hill Astronomical and Observational Society (CHAOS) and the Staunton River State Park.