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IC5146, THE COCOON NEBULA on 2023-08-11

This photo was done in my backyard in Kyle, Texas through a 6-inch Sky-Watcher f/4 Telescope, on a Sky-Watcher EQ6-R mount, using a ZWO ASI533MC PRO color camera. 43 subs x 180 sec. Plus an Optolong L Pro Light Polution Filter.

IC5146, also known as The Cocoon Nebula, in Cepheus is a small and faint star cluster listed in the Index Catalogue (IC). The IC is a supplement to the New General Catalogue (the NGC) that lists deep sky objects discovered between 1888 and 1907. They tend to be very faint, which is why many of them were not discovered sooner. This star cluster is embedded in a glowing patch of gas known as the Cocoon Nebula. You may also notice that the stars thin out very close and around the nebula. The dark nebula B168, which is made up of dust, is blocking out much of the star light coming from behind it. The star cluster IC5146 is quite young, with the bright star near its center being only about 100,000 years old. The cluster and nebula are about 4,000 light years away from the Earth. There are also a pair of very small and faint galaxies in the picture. The first galaxy, PGC167593 (mag. 18.23), is located between the 7:00 and 8:00 o’clock position, relative to the very bright blue star to the left of the Cocoon Nebula. Below it and farther to the left is the second galaxy, PGC167590 (mag. 18.50). You may need to zoom in to see these two galaxies.