Elephant's Trunk Nebula (IC1396)

By Anton Winter

The Elephant’s Trunk Nebula is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust within the much larger ionized gas region called IC 1396. It is located about 2,400 light years away from Earth.

I had rare time off work and was able to capture data for the first time in almost nine months when the skies cleared up on September 27th, 2023.

Equipment used:

  • Telescope: SkyWatcher ESPRIT 100ED
  • Imaging Camera: QHY-268C
  • Guide Scope: PrimaLuceLab 60mm
  • Guide Camera: ZWO ASI2900MM
  • Mount: SkyWatcher EQ66-R Pro
  • Electronic Focuser: PrimaLuceLabs SESTO SENSO 2
  • Filter: Optolong L-Ultimate dual-band astronomy narrowband filter (Hb, Ha, and OIII)
  • Capturing Software: N.I.N.A.

How much data did I capture?

Exposure Time: 6 hours and 27 minutes