Emission and Reflection Nebula in Cygnus
The Cocoon Nebula is a star-forming region in the rich Milky Way star fields of the Cygnus Milky Way star fields of Cygnus. The red sections are glowing hydrogen gas, illuminated by the bright star in the center of the nebula. The blue portions are reflected starlight, scattered by dust.
The bright nebula is surrounded on several sides by dark nebulae--regions of dust that are not illuminated by starlight. The dark nebulae show up as areas where fewer stars are visible, and those stars that can be seen are dimmed and reddened by the intervening dust. This is especially noticeable on the west (right) side of the Cocoon.
| Magnitude | 7.2 |
| Apparent Size | 12' x 12' |
| Distance (light yrs) | 4,000 |
| Right Ascension | 21:53.5 |
| Declination | +47 16 |
| Field of View | 32' x 24' |
Image details: Exposure times of 45 minutes luminance and 33 minutes each of red, green and blue, taken with an SBIG STF-8300M camera and a 14" Meade LX850 telescope at f/5.5.
October 2021
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