SUNSET: 
0
Photographer:
Sean Liang
Location of Photo:
IC ASTRONOMY OBSERVATORY, SPAIN
Date/Time of photo:
May 2021 - Nov 2022
Equipment:
Takahashi FSQ-106EDX4; FLI ProLine PL16803 (Remote Astronomy Via Telescope Live)
Description:
IC 1396 is a large emission nebula in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth. The region is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust with many beautiful ionization fronts. In the centre is a prominently elongated dust lane called "the Elephant's Trunk Nebula". The shape came from intense solar wind washing over the cloud, blowing away the lighter material and leaving behind the denser ones. Infrared astronomy has revealed that many infant stars are being born inside the elephant's trunk. The material they inherited from the nebula will coagulate into planets, some of which may become rocky worlds that might one-day harbour life.
