The Elephant's Trunk Nebula in Cepheus
Image Credit &
Copyright:
Stephen Leshin
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,
the cosmic elephant's trunk is over 20 light-years long.
This colorful close-up
view includes image data
from a narrow band filter
that transmits the light from ionized hydrogen atoms in the region.
The resulting composite highlights the bright swept-back ridges
that outline pockets of cool
interstellar
dust and gas.
Such embedded, 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 dramatic scene spans a 1 degree wide field,
about the size of 2 Full Moons.