The Elephants Trunk nebula

swag72

swag72

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Sara
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The Elephant's Trunk nebula (bottom middle of the image) is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust within the much larger ionized gas region IC 1396 located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth.

The Elephant's Trunk nebula is now thought to be a site of star formation, containing several very young (less than 100,000 yr) stars.

This is a 2x2 pane mosaic as the whole thing was too large to fit into the frame of my camera, in total there's over 60 30 minute exposures making up this image - 30.5 hours worth of images in total.



IC1396 in bi colour by swag72 (www.swagastro.weebly.com), on Flickr

If you are interested you can see a larger res version here http://swagastro.weebly.com/recent-images.html
 
Superb! I guess 100.000 years is nothing for a star, maybe less than the equivalent of the first second a human life!
 
I have just been looking at your website to try and understand this mosaic thing...

Now i understand you use equipment that tracks the stars in the sky, and that essentially this is a pano but what I dont get to do it do you need to take a series of shots from each mosaic point each night and how many do you take from it position.

Be aware I'm never likely to do this type of shooting just interested in how it works as its a bit like magic to me at the moment.

I would like to shoot the milky way though think that can be done in less effort that you go through :)
 
I take the first pane, say for example 10 exposures. I then move the image depending on where I want the next pane to be. Exactly as a pano, but moving up and down as well as along. SO then take a series of exposures at that pane and then move onto the next.
 
Awesome shot Sara.

When you say 100,000 years old - is that 100,000 years old now or is was it 100,000 years old before the light traveled for 2,400 years into your camera ?

Edit - scrap that 2.400 years doesn't make much difference over 100,000 years LOL

I always find it amazing that we're seeing the past - about 400 BC in this case.
 
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I love this game :D
Indeed I can see the elephants trunk,
but it also forms the nose to a large space creature
with two sunken eyes and flaming ginger hair :D
(Best I can do with this one :D)

Stunning as always Sara (y)
 
Simply stunning, and amazing.
Thinking of space, it always leads me back to the same question in my head - who created space? Why are we here? It blows my mind every time I think of this!
 
Your technical skill in order to achieve something like this is amazing. But to bring out the colours in the intricacies is definitely your artistic side. You have real talent which shows in your work. Excellent.
 
swag72 said:
@Cobra - You know I always wait with baited breath to see what oddness you are going to see in each image I post!!!
Click to expand...
PMSL, I hope I don't disappoint, in that case Sara :D
 
That's quite good isn't it! Though you seen to have captured rather a lot of dust in front of the lens...;)
 
Cobra said:
I love this game :D
Indeed I can see the elephants trunk,
but it also forms the nose to a large space creature
with two sunken eyes and flaming ginger hair :D
(Best I can do with this one :D)

Stunning as always Sara (y)
Click to expand...

I'll have some of what Chris has had - and as many of your shots as you care to post. Slightly in awe of the skill and patience involved in layering and stitching your shots.
 
Another amazing image Sara!
Just out of interest, what would you say is your best image that you have captured of the universe?
 
More like the one eyed, one eared flying purple people eater...
 
swag72 said:
Of course I've missed you Chris ..... Like a hole in the head!!

Thank goodness for some sanity Nod! :D
Click to expand...

And here's me, the one who really does have a hole in his head!!! Believe you me, if you need it, it really is a life saver!

ETA... And, as for me being sane, can I have a sustifercut to say that?
 
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It's Nodspeak for certificate. Another version uses a norty word in the middle so I used the cleaner version!
 
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