Widefield image of IC 5146, Cocoon Nebula

The Cocoon Nebula (IC 5146) is a reflection/emission nebula located approximately 2,500 light years away in the constellation Cygnus. 

The Cocoon Nebula is illuminated by BD +46°3474, a hot young main sequence star of the spectral type B0 V or B1 V. The star is enveloped in a molecular cloud at the eastern end of a dark lane spanning 2 degrees. The star has a mass of 14 ± 4 solar masses and is believed to be only 100,000 years old.

The shape of the Cocoon Nebula has been explained as the result of BD +46°3474 having formed near the surface of the cloud and carved a cavity out of which nebular material is flowing in our direction.

The western part of the nebula is intersected by a dark lane that winds around the young cluster. The dark nebula is catalogued as Barnard 168 (B168). It stretches from the Cocoon Nebula in the direction of the bright open cluster Messier 39 (visible on top of this image).

This image is acquired with SPA-1 (Takahashi FSQ-106ED refractor), data from 3 one-click observations.

Total integration time 300 minutes
LHaRGB 6 sub-frames of 600s.