Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Cygnus (Cyg)  ·  Contains:  Cocoon Nebula  ·  IC 5146
IC 5146 - The Cocoon Nebula, AstroAdventures
IC 5146 - The Cocoon Nebula
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IC 5146 - The Cocoon Nebula

IC 5146 - The Cocoon Nebula, AstroAdventures
IC 5146 - The Cocoon Nebula
Powered byPixInsight

IC 5146 - The Cocoon Nebula

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Description

IC 5146 (also Caldwell 19, Sh 2-125, and the Cocoon Nebula) is a reflection/emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus. The NGC description refers to IC 5146 as a cluster of 9.5 mag stars involved in a bright and dark nebula. The cluster is also known as Collinder 470. It shines at magnitude +10.0/+9.3/+7.2. Its celestial coordinates are RA 21h 53.5m , dec +47° 16′. It is located near the naked-eye star Pi Cygni, the open cluster NGC 7209 in Lacerta, and the bright open cluster M39.[2][5] The cluster is about 4,000 ly away, and the central star that lights it formed about 100,000 years ago;[7] the nebula is about 12 arcmins across, which is equivalent to a span of 15 light years.[6]

When viewing IC 5146, dark nebula Barnard 168 (B168) is an inseparable part of the experience, forming a dark lane that surrounds the cluster and projects westward forming the appearance of a trail behind the Cocoon.

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IC 5146 - The Cocoon Nebula, AstroAdventures