IC 1396 in Narrowband

July 10, 2020

The IC 1396 region: IC 1396A is the Elephant's Trunk Nebula (center) surrounded by knots and bands of dark interstellar dust. Barnard 163 (B163) is the dark nebula center top. When it comes to narrowband imaging (Ha, OIII, SII) the constellation Cepheus is one of my favorites. I could spend a month just on IC 1396, the whole region, capturing the dozens of dark nebulae and the Elephant's Trunk at different focal lengths, but Cepheus also has the Iris Nebula and a bunch of other cool nebulae, including Barnard Catalogue objects like B169, as well as LDN 1272 and the wisps of hydrogen clouds that make up Sh2-134. All worthy targets for your telescope and camera. Notes: 48 x 240 second subs of Ha and OIII, William Optics GT81 Apo refractor, ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro mono camera, Astronomik filters, iOptron CEM25P mount.