Cocoon Nebula. Taken form the Nutwood Observatory in Bancroft Ontario Canada. Equipment used : 14 inch Astrograph SCT with an Apogee 16M and an ME Mount. Consists of 6 hrs total exposure LRGB.
The Cocoon Nebula floats like an island within a sea of dark clouds. It is a star forming region that contains three of the major types of nebulosities: emission, reflection, and absorption. These three types of gas clouds are responsible for the red, blue, and black regions shown above. The large central star within the Cocoon has blown a hole in the nebula and is likely responsible for exciting the surrounding hydrogen to emit in Ha light.