Camera: Q453HR CCD Labs- One Shot Color Camera 

Total Exposure: 11.0 hours 44 x 15 min. unbinned

August 2009: Chico, California, USA 

Comments: 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..