The Cocoon Nebula (IC 5146) is a striking combination of emission, reflection, and dark nebulosity in the constellation Cygnus, sitting at the tip of a long dark dust lane (Barnard 168) that trails away from it across the sky.
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The Cocoon Nebula (IC 5146) is a striking combination of emission, reflection, and dark nebulosity in the constellation Cygnus, sitting at the tip of a long dark dust lane (Barnard 168) that trails away from it across the sky. It surrounds and illuminates the young open cluster Collinder 470, whose stars are only about a million years old. Distance estimates vary by method: recent Gaia-based studies of its member stars suggest roughly 2,500-2,600 light-years, while older references commonly cite around 4,000 light-years; the nebula itself spans roughly 15 light-years. Photographically it offers strong contrast between a reddish emission core, delicate blue reflection haze around embedded stars, and the dark, star-obscuring dust that borders it, making it rewarding for both broadband color and Hα narrowband imaging, especially framed together with the trailing dark filaments of B168.
