01/27/2026
First new image I've done for quite some time.
Using picture data I collected in late 2022 using a monochrome camera I was able to combine light from 3 different filters that only let in the wavelengths of light produced from ionized hydrogen, oxygen and Sulphur.
Sulphur was used to make the reds, oxygen the blues and hydrogen the greens. Using those 3 primary colors you can create an image that's relatively pleasing to the eyes.
This is the Elephant’s Trunk Nebula (cataloged IC 1396A) and is a dense region of gas and dust that's located about 2400 light-years away in the constellation Cepheus. Shaped by stellar winds and ionized by radiation from a nearby massive star creating the light we see, this structure is a site of active star formation, with young, newly forming stars around 100,000 years old hidden within its clouds.
Taken from Smithville, MO by me using a ZWO 2600MM Pro camera and AT130EDT telescope.
