Cocoon Nebula
RA 21h 55m · Dec +47° 16′
5′

A round emission and reflection nebula at the end of the long dark nebula Barnard 168. The juxtaposition of the bright cocoon at the tip of the dark filament makes a stunning wide-field composition.

Emission nebula

Cocoon Nebula

IC 5146 · Cygnus
These photons are ~4,000 years old
LPBroadband light-pollution filter. Suppresses the sodium and mercury glow of streetlights while passing the main nebula emission lines and natural star colours.ZWO Seestar S50ZWO Seestar S50Aperture 50mm · Focal length 250mm · f/5 · Apo triplet with ED element · Sony IMX462 colour CMOS sensor (1920 x 1080, 2.1MP)…View equipment →
⧉ 5 versions of this capture — pick one to see its image and log
↻ Revisited — built over 2 nights, two nights later
  1. 1 23/09/2025 18m (105 × 10s) ZWO Seestar S50, ZWO Seestar S50 Camera
  2. 2 25/09/2025 46m (274 x 10s) ZWO Seestar S50, ZWO Seestar S50 Camera
23/09/2025 25/09/2025 Two nights later
Date
23/09/2025
Location
36.3859° N, 28.0414° E
Integration
18m (105 × 10s)
Software
ZWO Seestar app
Notes
·
Total effort
3h 22m over 2 nights
Moon
🌒Waxing crescent, 1% lit
Plate solve
Centre RA
21h 55m 04.7s
Centre Dec
+47° 16′ 10″
Field
42.7′ × 76.0′
Pixel scale
2.37″/px
Orientation
-91.3° E of N
Hemisphere
Northern
Also in this frame
C19

Catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, nearest the centre first. Highlighted names have their own photo here.

TelescopeZWO Seestar S50
CameraZWO Seestar S50 Camera
RigFamily Holiday Rig

Where to find it

Finder chart
+47°+47°10′+47°20′+47°30′21h51m21h52m21h53m21h53m21h54m21h55m21h55m21h56m21h57m21h57m21h58m21h59mIC 5146NE42.7′ x 76.0′5′

Star field and catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, oriented to the solve. Fully offline, from the bundled star and deep-sky catalogues.

Interactive sky chart centred on 21 55 04.7 +47 16 10. Drag to pan, scroll to zoom, click a star or object to identify it. Zoom in to the plate-solved field for the DSS survey photo; zoom out for constellation figures and neighbouring catalogue objects. Fully self-hosted: the star and deep-sky catalogues and the survey image are all served from this site, so nothing external loads. Imagery: DSS2 colour (STScI / POSS-II). Constellation figures © Dominic Ford (GPLv3).

Captured from · Ρόδος (Rhodes)
36.3859° N, 28.0414° E · view on OpenStreetMap ↗ · Place data © GeoNames (CC BY)

Frequently asked questions

What kind of object is IC 5146?
IC 5146 is an emission nebula.
Which constellation is IC 5146 in?
IC 5146 lies in the constellation Cygnus.
How far away is IC 5146?
The light in this image left IC 5146 roughly ~4,000 years ago, so that is how far back in time you are seeing it.
What are the coordinates of IC 5146?
IC 5146 sits at right ascension 21h 55m 05s and declination +47° 16′ 10″ (J2000).
When is the best time to photograph IC 5146?
IC 5146 rides highest in the evening sky around August, reaching about 79° above the horizon from around 36°N.
What else is in this frame?
The plate-solved field also contains C19.
What equipment was used to photograph IC 5146?
This image of IC 5146 was captured with ZWO Seestar S50 and ZWO Seestar S50 Camera.
How much exposure time went into this image?
This image of IC 5146 represents 18m (105 × 10s) + 46m (274 x 10s) of total integration time.

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