About 3300 light years from Earth and 15 light years in diameter, the Cocoon Nebula is an emission nebula, our view of which is surrounded by and partly obscured by a cloud of interstellar dust known by inhabitants of our planet as Barnard 168.

This image was composed from 130 fifteen second exposures made with a ZWO ASI224MC camera and an 8-inch f/4 Newtonian telescope. No dark or flat frames were used.