IC 1396 is a large ionized gas region in the constellation Cepheus, approximately 2,400 light years from Earth. The Elephant's Trunk nebula is a concentration of interstellar gas whose rim is illuminated by the bright star HD206267. The Elephant's Trunk is believed to be a region of star formation, and two very young (1 million years old) stars sit in the cavity at the top of the trunk.

This image was taken using Sulfur 2, Hydrogen Alpha and Oxygen 3 filters which are mapped to Red, Green and Blue channels respectively, resulting in this Hubble Palette image. The final image comprises a total of almost 20 hours of data under the dark skies of West Virginia.

Data collected in West Virginia using our jointly owned Astrophysics AP 305 f/3.8 scope, in collaboration with:

John Kasianowicz, Mike Selby, Stefan Schmidt and Andy Chatman

Image processing: Andy Chatman and Mike Selby