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Астронет: Астрономическая картинка дня APOD: 2026 August 20 Б The Elephant s Trunk in Cepheus http://www.astronet.ru/db/msg/2038992 |
Credit & Copyright: Eddie Sgarbossa
Explanation:
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.
Top to bottom
this proboscidean-like rendition reaches
across an almost 1 degree wide field of view, though.
That's a little less than the angular size of 2 full moons.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
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