IC 1396A – The Elephant’s Trunk in Cepheus

Telescope: ES Comet Hunter MN6 at f/4.8, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: Baader modified Nikon 610

Filter: 2” Radian Triad Ultra Hb, OIII, Ha, SII filter

Guide scope: Williams Optics 50mm, ASI290MM mini, PHD

Exposure: 36x240sec, ISO 400, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 64×1/5sec, tee shirt flats taken at dusk

Average Light Pollution: Red zone, Bortle 8, good transparency

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.7

Stacking: Mean with a 1-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Backyard Nikon, Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

IC 1396 includes an open cluster and a vast region of H-alpha emission. If I re-frame this field a little bit farther to the east I can just about capture the width of the nebula. IC 1396A is the sinuous wave that makes up the southern border of a dark nebula called the Elephant’s Trunk. It is neat to take a close look at some of the fascinating detail scattered across this region. I have also had a lot of fun glimpsing the Elephant’s Trunk with my little Revolution Imager 2 video camera where it appears as a faint wisp against the background stars.

IC 1396 is currently well placed in the northeast late in the evening and is high overhead at dawn.