01 — THE OBJECT
IC 1396
Elephant Trunk Nebula
IC 1396 is a large emission nebula in Cepheus, famous for its “elephant trunk”: a dark pillar of gas and dust where young stars are still forming. The complex lies about 2,400 light-years away. The red contrast comes mainly from ionised hydrogen.
- Type
- Nebula
- Constellation
- Cepheus
- Distance
- 2400 ly
02 — THE PROJECT
IC 1396 — Elephant's Trunk Nebula
Back to IC 1396 — 45 h 20 around the Elephant Trunk Already photographed in the past, this region deserved another visit with gear that has evolved and a bit more processing experience. Seven sessions between 30 August and 7 September 2026 kept 272 ten-minute frames, for 45 h 20 of integration. Acquired from Le Pradet, in the Var, under Bortle 7 skies, with an L-eXtreme filter. Processing in PixInsight focused on preserving the faint nebulosity and the transitions between the bright veils and the dark clouds. Several gradient corrections were compared to limit residual vignetting without erasing the field's natural variations.
03 — ACQUISITION
Total integration · 45.3 h
- 40 × 10 min · Optolong L-eXtreme 2"
- 45 × 10 min · Optolong L-eXtreme 2"
- 27 × 10 min · Optolong L-eXtreme 2"
- 41 × 10 min · Optolong L-eXtreme 2"
- 42 × 10 min · Optolong L-eXtreme 2"
- 36 × 10 min · Optolong L-eXtreme 2"
- 41 × 10 min · Optolong L-eXtreme 2"
| Filter | Frames | Exposure | Total | Gain | Cooling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optolong L-eXtreme 2" | 40 | 10 min | 40 × 10 min (6.7 h) | 101 | -5 °C |
| Filter | Frames | Exposure | Total | Gain | Cooling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optolong L-eXtreme 2" | 45 | 10 min | 45 × 10 min (7.5 h) | 101 | -5 °C |
| Filter | Frames | Exposure | Total | Gain | Cooling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optolong L-eXtreme 2" | 27 | 10 min | 27 × 10 min (4.5 h) | 101 | -5 °C |
| Filter | Frames | Exposure | Total | Gain | Cooling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optolong L-eXtreme 2" | 41 | 10 min | 41 × 10 min (6.8 h) | 101 | -5 °C |
| Filter | Frames | Exposure | Total | Gain | Cooling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optolong L-eXtreme 2" | 42 | 10 min | 42 × 10 min (7 h) | 101 | -5 °C |
| Filter | Frames | Exposure | Total | Gain | Cooling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optolong L-eXtreme 2" | 36 | 10 min | 36 × 10 min (6 h) | 101 | -5 °C |
| Filter | Frames | Exposure | Total | Gain | Cooling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optolong L-eXtreme 2" | 41 | 10 min | 41 × 10 min (6.8 h) | 101 | -5 °C |
04 — EQUIPMENT
ASI2600MC Pro
ZWO · ASI2600MC Pro
Camera
Sky-Watcher Explorer 150P
Sky-Watcher · Explorer 150P
TELESCOPE
ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
ZWO · ASI2600MC Pro
CAMERA
Sky-Watcher NEQ6-Pro
Sky-Watcher · NEQ6-Pro
MOUNT
Optolong L-eXtreme 2"
Optolong · L-eXtreme 2"
FILTER
TS-Optics 2" Maxfield Newtonian Coma Corrector 0.95x (TSKomaKorr)
TS-Optics · 2" Maxfield Newtonian Coma Corrector 0.95x (TSKomaKorr)
ACCESSORY
PixInsight
Pleiades Astrophoto · PixInsight
SOFTWARE
Stefan Berg Nighttime Imaging 'N' Astronomy (N.I.N.A. / NINA)
Stefan Berg · Nighttime Imaging 'N' Astronomy (N.I.N.A. / NINA)
SOFTWARE
ZWO ASI120MM Mini
ZWO · ASI120MM Mini
GUIDE_CAMERA
06 — EVOLUTION
FINAL
LINEAR07 — FINAL IMAGE
Final · IC 1396
Related articles
- Newton 150P + ASI2600MC Pro setup
Current configuration: Sky-Watcher Explorer 150P on NEQ6-Pro, ASI2600MC Pro, TS Maxfield coma corrector, TSL60D + ASI120MM guiding, N.I.N.A. / PixInsight.