Mike Lewis
Staff Member
So yet another mosaic from me, once again due to being remote with one scope to use. This one was 'only' a 2 panel mosaic, although again I think one could argue that 2 panels is not quite enough to get the entire region imaged, but it's close I think. And while the Elephant Trunk is what gives the area its name, IC 1396 its surroundings are at least as interesting, and what I tried to bring out in this capture. Posted here first, prior to Astrobin.
From Wikipedia:
IC 1396 is a large emission nebulae, a region of ionized gas, located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth.[1]
IC 1396 is illuminated and ionized by a very bright, massive multiple star HD 206267 at its center, except for dense globules that can protect themselves from the star's harsh ultraviolet rays. This hierarchical triple star system has two members that form a spectroscopic binary that orbit each other with a period of 3.7 days, while a third member lies further away—it is unclear whether this third member is gravitationally bound to the pair. The system is emitting a stellar wind that reaches an exceptional velocity of 3,225 km/s, among the highest measured for stars of this type.[2]
Jutting from the rim of the nebula is IC 1396A, commonly called the Elephant's Trunk Nebula, a dark, dense globule with a bright, sinuous rim being illuminated by HD 206267. The red supergiant or hypergiant Mu Cephei is located at the edge of the nebula. It is well known for being one of the largest known stars.
Thanks for looking, comments and critiques welcome.
ML
From Wikipedia:
IC 1396 is a large emission nebulae, a region of ionized gas, located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth.[1]
IC 1396 is illuminated and ionized by a very bright, massive multiple star HD 206267 at its center, except for dense globules that can protect themselves from the star's harsh ultraviolet rays. This hierarchical triple star system has two members that form a spectroscopic binary that orbit each other with a period of 3.7 days, while a third member lies further away—it is unclear whether this third member is gravitationally bound to the pair. The system is emitting a stellar wind that reaches an exceptional velocity of 3,225 km/s, among the highest measured for stars of this type.[2]
Jutting from the rim of the nebula is IC 1396A, commonly called the Elephant's Trunk Nebula, a dark, dense globule with a bright, sinuous rim being illuminated by HD 206267. The red supergiant or hypergiant Mu Cephei is located at the edge of the nebula. It is well known for being one of the largest known stars.
Thanks for looking, comments and critiques welcome.
ML
