Fighting Dragons

This magnificent portion of the Cepheus molecular cloud complex lies about 11 degrees from Polaris, our North Star. It's often called the Fighting Dragons. LDN 1228 is a dense molecular cloud of gas and dust that obscures the background starlight of the Milky Way, creating striking dark silhouettes. LBN 552, adds subtle glowing structures to the scene. At the center, a striking orangish reflection nebula catches your eye. It's caused by a young star illuminating a dense pocket of dust within the larger cloud. This entire region is an active site of low-mass star formation.

William Optics 91 FLT scope
ZWO Camera ASI2600MC Pro
ZWO AM5

Stacked and processed over 12 hours of data in Pixinsight