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IC 5146, the Cocoon Nebula, is located in a dense part of the Milky Way in Northern Cygnus. It can be found at the eastern end of the elongated dark cloud Barnard 168 and is part of an extended molecular cloud. The active star formation taking place inside the cloud leads to the formation of a young open cluster named Collinder 470, of apparent magnitude of 7.2 mag and an estimated age of a few hundred thousand years. This star cluster, and in particular the brightest star in its center, are responsible for the ionization of the nebula and thus for its illumination.
There are six open star clusters identifiable within this image:
IC 5146 - Cocoon Nebula and Surrounding Area, telelens photograph.
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