Cocoon Nebula

Last night’s imaging session at the Harold Campbell Public Use Facility, located off US 27 in South Florida, was a mixed bag of weather and reward. I arrived early to set up, braving the heat and humidity that clung to the air until about 11 p.m. Once the night cooled down, the conditions were nearly perfect for capturing some deep-sky wonders. For this session, I had my trusty ZWO 2600 Duo OSC camera paired with the ZWO AM5 mount and my CarbonStar f/3.8 Newtonian.

The target for the night was the Cocoon Nebula, a gem nestled in a region full of dense dark molecular clouds. I dedicated a solid four hours to it, taking 5-minute subs to really dig out the fine details. As the hours passed, the nebula's brilliant core and intricate wisps of gas started to reveal themselves, even in the raw subs. With the cool, calm night stretching out after that humid start, the imaging run went smoothly, and I’m excited to dive into processing. Based on what I saw on screen, the Cocoon Nebula came through beautifully, framed by a sea of distant stars. Definitely one for the books!