Nestled within the expansive star-forming region IC 1396 in the Cepheus constellation, the Elephant's Trunk Nebula, denoted IC 1396A, emerges as a captivating celestial structure. This elongated globule of dense dust and gas has earned its moniker due to its striking resemblance to an elephant's head and trunk at visible wavelengths, where a dark, shadowy region is surrounded by a luminous, winding rim. Positioned approximately 2,400 light-years from Earth, the nebula offers a unique insight into the intricacies of star formation and the interplay of cosmic forces within the vast expanse of IC 1396.

Lesser-known fact: The Elephant's Trunk Nebula is a prominent site for ongoing research, with astronomers studying its molecular content and magnetic fields to deepen our understanding of the complex processes shaping stellar birth and evolution in this captivating corner of the universe.

Image Description and Details :

Our first picture with our remote imaging setup in south Portugal (Alelentejo Remote Observatory managed by the ARO TEAM).
Our team named AstroDarkTeam is a team of two passionate french amateur astronomers : Stephane Rolland and Pascal Gouraud
We have installed our setup in south Portugal (EQ8-R + TOA130) on mid-october 2021 and we have been imaging since end of October 2021.
Our first target is IC1805 an emission nebula and star cluster Melotte 15.
Clouds in this area are sculpted by stellar winds and radiation from massive hot stars in the nebula cluster, Melotte 15 (about 1.5 million years young).
This 15 light-years wide field view includes emission from ionized hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen atoms.
The Heart Nebula. IC 1805 is located about 7,500 light years away toward the constellation Cassiopeia.

Regarding imaging sessions, We have got some issues with thermal amplitude and humidity.
Some improvements still to be done regarding subframe exposure (moving to 15 or 20 minutes) and better subframe selection.
Regarding processing, we have been unable to integrate LRVB shots to improve star colors, so still to be improved for future pictures.
For a first run, we are quite happy with this result.


Copyright: Pascal Gouraud / AstroDarkTeam