Elephant Trunk Nebula - Lost Photons Gallery

An earlier Elephant Trunk revision captured under dark Pennsylvania skies.

What am I looking at?: The Elephant's Trunk Nebula is a dense pillar of gas and dust inside a larger emission nebula in Cepheus.
How far away is it?: About 2,400 light-years away.
Where is it in the sky?: In Cepheus, in the northern Milky Way.
Why does it matter?: The trunk shape shows how radiation and winds erode nebulae while triggering star formation.
When is the best time to photograph it?: Late summer through autumn when Cepheus is well placed.

Capture Data

Capture summary

Catalog IC 1396

Nebula in Cepheus

Integration time 4h 10m

September 20, 2020

Filters L-Pro

OSC broadband

Frame 2020

Autumn target / wide composition

Exposure Breakdown 4h 10m

L-Pro 4h 10m 50 x 300s / September 20, 2020
Totals 4h 10m September 20, 2020

Same target, different years.

Older revisions stay in the archive so you can see how the target changed with different equipment, processing, and experience.

Left year Right year

Elephant Trunk Nebula 2020 — 2020 **Elephant Trunk Nebula** *Currently viewing*

Elephant Trunk Nebula 2021 — 2021 **Elephant Trunk Nebula** *Compare revision*

2021 Elephant Trunk Nebula Open revision

2020 Elephant Trunk Nebula Currently viewing

2020 Elephant Trunk Nebula June 2020 revision

Target Planner

When to image this target

Nebula in Cepheus; best planned for September through November from New Jersey.

Best season September through November

Autumn is a strong window for Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Andromeda, and late Cygnus fields.

Good from NJ Late summer through autumn evenings

Assumes a New Jersey backyard horizon and evening imaging.

Object type Nebula

Emission nebulae are good candidates for narrowband filters; reflection nebulae prefer darker skies.

Constellation Cepheus

IC 1396 is listed here in Cepheus.

Moon tolerance Narrowband can tolerate some moonlight.

Current frame: Natural color / OSC broadband.

Open full planner View on sky map

Live altitude, moon, and filter guidance

Planning from Sewell, NJ

Calculating target altitude and moon context.

Check your location Enter ZIP in planner

Use the full planner to enter a ZIP code, choose a date, and compare the target from your sky.

Planning values are approximate and update in your browser.

Planning site Sewell, NJ 39.7700, -75.1400

Current altitude ...

Based on the current time.

Green marks usable dark-sky altitude.

Next transit ...

Next upper transit.

Rise / set ...

Approximate horizon crossing.

Moon now ...

Moon phase and altitude.

Processing

Acquisition & processing notes

Filter channels, integration times, and capture dates for this frame. View on AstroBin.

Optolong L-Pro 2 50 x 300s, 4h 10m