Elephant's Trunk Nebula
The Elephant's Trunk Nebula, designated IC 1396A, is a dense, elongated region of interstellar gas and dust within the larger IC 1396 emission nebula in the constellation Cepheus. Shaped by stellar winds and radiation from nearby massive stars, it is an active site of star formation.
Source: noirlab.edu
APODs including "Elephant's Trunk Nebula"
The Elephant's Trunk in Cepheus
21/11/2024
Like an illustration in a galactic Just So Story, the Elephant's Trunk Nebula winds through the emission region and young star cluster complex IC 1396, in the high and far off constellation of Cepheus. Also known as vdB 142, this cosmic elephant's trunk is over 20 light-years long. The detailed telescopic view features the bright swept-back ridges and pockets of cool interstellar dust and gas that abound in the region. But the dark, tendril-shaped clouds contain the raw material for star formation and hide protostars within. Nearly 3,000 light-years distant, the relatively faint IC 1396 complex covers a large region on the sky, spanning over 5 degrees. This rendition spans a 1 degree wide field of view though, about the angular size of 2 full moons.