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Credit & Copyright: Robert Eder
Explanation:
Like an illustration in a galactic
Just So Story, the
Elephant's Trunk Nebula
winds through the emission nebula and young star cluster
complex IC 1396, in the high and far off
constellation
of Cepheus.
Also known as vdB 142,
seen on the left the cosmic elephant's trunk is over 20 light-years long.
Removed by digital processing, no
visible stars are in this
detailed telescopic close-up view highlighting the bright swept-back ridges
that outline pockets of cool
interstellar
dust and gas.
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 starless rendition
spans a 1 degree wide field of view though,
about the angular size of 2 full moons.
Of course
the dark shapes below and right, marching toward the winding Elephant's
Trunk, are known to some as The Caravan.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: IC 1396 - emission nebula
Publications with words: IC 1396 - emission nebula
See also:
- APOD: 2024 April 24 Á Dragons Egg Bipolar Emission Nebula
- APOD: 2024 March 13 Á The Seagull Nebula
- APOD: 2024 February 21 Á Seagull Nebula over Pinnacles Peak
- NGC 1893 and the Tadpoles of IC 410
- The Light, the Dark, and the Dusty
- APOD: 2023 December 13 Á Deep Field: The Heart Nebula
- The Ghosts of Gamma Cas