The supergiant star Mu Cepei, aka the Garnet Star, shines brightly in this image of the large nebula IC 1396. Van den Bergh 142, the Elephant Trunk, is located in the centre of the nebula.
Date: December 8, 2009
Constellation: Cepheus
Location: Death Valley National Park, California
Optics: Borg 77EDII at f/4.3 on Vixen SX Sphinx Mount
Camera: Hutech modified Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Exposure: 92 RAW light frames of 120 seconds, ISO 800
Processing: Light frames calibrated with 40 dark frames and 25 flat frames in ImagesPlus. Background neutralized, light frames combined using Average.