IC1396

IC1396
All Images Copyright Steve Cannistra

Narrowband images
Please click here for a narrowband full frame, smaller view (20%)
Please click here for a narrowband full frame, medium view (30%)
Please click here for a narrowband full frame, larger view (40%)
Please click here for a narrowband full frame, largest view (50%)
Please click here for a central crop of IC1396
Please click here for the largest cropped view

RGB images
Please click here for an RGB full frame, smaller view (20%)
Please click here for an RGB full frame, medium view (30%)
Please click here for an RGB full frame, larger view (40%)
Please click here for an RGB full frame, largest view (50%)


Characteristics:
RA: 21h 39m 08s (J2000)
Dec: 57degrees 29' 50" (J2000)
PA: plus 317 degrees (Pinpoint)

Description:
IC1396 is a large emission nebula in Cepheus. 
Radiation from the star HD206267 has cleared out a central portion from the nebula and has also blown away gas and dust radially, resulting in a variety of dark globules that roughly point towards the center.  These are called "cometary globules" in recognition of their overall shape, which consists of a head followed by a tail of dust that is being blown backwards by HD206267's solar wind.  The most conspicuous globule is 1396A, also known as the "Elephant Trunk," which contains a subtle reflection nebula vdb142.   Other cometary globules can be appreciated in the full frame version of this image.  Although the dark gas and dust are opaque to visible light, infrared light passes through this region easily, permitting a view of the inner workings of the Elephant Trunk.  Please click here for an infrared view of this area taken through the Space InfraRed Telescope Facility (SIRTF), now known as the Spitzer Space Telescope.   Please be sure to check out the larger sized images for greater detail.  Rob Gendler has an excellent description of IC1396 on his website.

Photographic Details:
Dates:  August 20, 26, 27, 28, 31; September 1, 2010
Scope:  Takahashi FSQ106 at f5 on the Takahashi NJP Mount
Autoguider:  SBIG ST-402 with 60mm guidescope, focal length 227mm
Camera:  Apogee U16M at -20C, with 7 position 50mm square filter wheel (Apogee FW50-7S)
Filters: 
Baader narrowband filters, 50mm square
Exposures:  Ha, 6 hours; OIII, 5 hours; SII, 6 hours; R, 3 hours; G, 3 hours; B, 3 hours, all unbinned.  Total exposure 26 hours.
Post-processing:  Calibrated in Maxim, aligned and stacked using DeepSkyStacker, followed by DDP in ImagesPlus (IP).  Further processing in Photoshop CS (16 bit format) using the clipped layer mask method originally described by Travis Rector.  Star colors obtained from RGB data.

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