18 x 360 sec ISO 1600
Darks and Flats applied
Modified Canon XTi
CGE 1100 with .63 reduced
Guiding with Meade ED80 using PhD
Processed with Deep Sky Stacker, IP3, and Photoshop CS3

The Cocoon Nebula, cataloged as IC 5146, is a strikingly beautiful nebula located about 4,000 light years away toward the constellation of the Swan (Cygnus). Inside the Cocoon Nebula is a newly developing open cluster of stars. Like other stellar nurseries, the Cocoon Nebula holds, at the same time, a bright red emission nebula, blue reflection nebulas, and dark absorption nebulas. Given different mixtures, these three processes create a host of colors in this image