The Elephant Trunk Nebula
18 years ago this area of space was observed by NASA in infrared and revealed that the "trunk" of the elephant is actively making stars and the resulting wind is what gives the trunk it's shape. With similar wind speeds to winter in Estes Park; the speed in the trunk is estimated to be 1,790,000 miles per hour.
The wind in Estes makes shooting through the night and keeping everything perfectly steady is a challenge but it is certainly worth it.
Arguably the most beautiful photo that Hubble has ever taken was a long exposure of this beautiful diffuse nebula.
Object: IC 1396 - The Elephant Trunk Nebula
Exposure: 140 x 50sec (2 hours, 50 darks, 50 bias, 50 flats)
Bortle scale: 4 - Estes Park, Colorado
Optics: William Optics Redcat 51
Camera: Canon EOS Ra
Mount: Star Adventurer
Filters: Astronomik CLS clip in
Software: DeepSkyStacker, PS
~Clear Skies~
