https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto Sat, 08 Aug 2026 05:27:20 -0300 Sat, 08 Aug 2026 05:27:20 -0300 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Zenphoto RSS Generator https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Nebulae/IC-5146-Cocoon-Nebula&image=IC5146+Cocoon+Nebula+b.jpg Click on the image to view it at full resolution, then click again for actual size.

The Cocoon Nebula (IC 5146) is a striking combination of emission, reflection, and dark nebulosity in the constellation Cygnus, sitting at the tip of a long dark dust lane (Barnard 168) that trails away from it across the sky. It surrounds and illuminates the young open cluster Collinder 470, whose stars are only about a million years old. Distance estimates vary by method: recent Gaia-based studies of its member stars suggest roughly 2,500-2,600 light-years, while older references commonly cite around 4,000 light-years; the nebula itself spans roughly 15 light-years. Photographically it offers strong contrast between a reddish emission core, delicate blue reflection haze around embedded stars, and the dark, star-obscuring dust that borders it, making it rewarding for both broadband color and Hα narrowband imaging, especially framed together with the trailing dark filaments of B168.

[Source: Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IC_5146]

Moon Phase	Waning Gibbous
Camera	ToupTek ATR2600C
Optics	Skywatcher Esprit 120ED, 840 mm focal length, f/7 (120 mm aperture, APO triplet)
Date	2025-10-10
PixInsight Processing	Image Integration (x2) PixelMath

Date: July 28, 2026 ]]> https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Nebulae/IC-5146-Cocoon-Nebula&image=IC5146+Cocoon+Nebula+b.jpg Fri, 10 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0300 https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Nebulae/IC-5146-Cocoon-Nebula&image=IC5146+Cocoon+Nebula+c.jpg Click on the image to view it at full resolution, then click again for actual size.

The Cocoon Nebula (IC 5146) is a striking combination of emission, reflection, and dark nebulosity in the constellation Cygnus, sitting at the tip of a long dark dust lane (Barnard 168) that trails away from it across the sky. It surrounds and illuminates the young open cluster Collinder 470, whose stars are only about a million years old. Distance estimates vary by method: recent Gaia-based studies of its member stars suggest roughly 2,500-2,600 light-years, while older references commonly cite around 4,000 light-years; the nebula itself spans roughly 15 light-years. Photographically it offers strong contrast between a reddish emission core, delicate blue reflection haze around embedded stars, and the dark, star-obscuring dust that borders it, making it rewarding for both broadband color and Hα narrowband imaging, especially framed together with the trailing dark filaments of B168.

[Source: Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IC_5146]

Total image time was 45 minutes.

Moon Phase	Waning Gibbous
Camera	ToupTek ATR2600C
Optics	Skywatcher Esprit 120ED, 840 mm focal length, f/7 (120 mm aperture, APO triplet)
Filter	Triad Quad
Binning	1x1
Date	2025-10-10
PixInsight Processing	Image Integration (x2) BlurXTerminator (AI deconvolution) NoiseXTerminator (AI denoise) Histogram Transformation

Date: July 28, 2026 ]]> https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Nebulae/IC-5146-Cocoon-Nebula&image=IC5146+Cocoon+Nebula+c.jpg Fri, 10 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0300 https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Nebulae/IC-5146-Cocoon-Nebula&image=IC5146+Cocoon+Nebula+a.jpg Click on the image to view it at full resolution, then click again for actual size.

The Cocoon Nebula (IC 5146) is a striking combination of emission, reflection, and dark nebulosity in the constellation Cygnus, sitting at the tip of a long dark dust lane (Barnard 168) that trails away from it across the sky. It surrounds and illuminates the young open cluster Collinder 470, whose stars are only about a million years old. Distance estimates vary by method: recent Gaia-based studies of its member stars suggest roughly 2,500-2,600 light-years, while older references commonly cite around 4,000 light-years; the nebula itself spans roughly 15 light-years. Photographically it offers strong contrast between a reddish emission core, delicate blue reflection haze around embedded stars, and the dark, star-obscuring dust that borders it, making it rewarding for both broadband color and Hα narrowband imaging, especially framed together with the trailing dark filaments of B168.

[Source: Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IC_5146]

Moon Phase	Waning Gibbous
Camera	ToupTek ATR2600C
Optics	Skywatcher Esprit 120ED, 840 mm focal length, f/7 (120 mm aperture, APO triplet)
Date	2025-10-10
PixInsight Processing	Image Integration (x2) PixelMath

Date: July 28, 2026 ]]> https://www.sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Nebulae/IC-5146-Cocoon-Nebula&image=IC5146+Cocoon+Nebula+a.jpg Fri, 10 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0300