Mu Cepheus wide field

[twilbur]

Hi All!
I'll add my latest to the flurry of new images that have been posted this weekend - glad everyone's busy working clear skies!

We had a clear night last night and I decided to do a wide field shot of IC1396 in Cepheus.  Among other things, this nebula contains the famous "Elephant Trunk" that Steve and Rick have imaged so beautifully. This image is too wide to get any detail of that feature though. The nebula itself is huge at over 3 degrees across! I was piggybacking on the LX200 with the ST8 fitted with a 55mm SLR lens. The image is about 15 degrees high by 10 wide.  

I love the unusual color combo of the red nebula, with the bluish center and bright yellow Mu Cepheus.

[sc02492]

Good one Ted!  That's a nice, wide view.  I wish that my set up would permit this kind of view-  at some point I will use my widefield lens adapter and try some of these shots through the SXV-H9.

Steve

[ricksastro]

I like the super-wide perspective.  It almost looks like a close-up of the cocoon nebula...

Rick

[Jake]

Ted -

I must have missed this with all the new posts this weekend.
That is a very nice, wide field you are getting with the 50mm lens and ST-8 combo, and this is a very pleasing image - I like all the color you captured.

-Jake

[twilbur]

Thanks guys! I thought of the Cocoon or possibly the Trifid when I first saw it too.  The lens is a $30 eBay special and in certain areas, particularly near the edges, the stars were in different spots for different channels making them a challenge to align and process.