|
Credit & Copyright: Giorgio Ferrari
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.
This rendition
spans a 1 degree wide field of view though,
about the angular size of 2 full moons.
|
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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: 2025 February 18 Á Thors Helmet versus the Seagull
- APOD: 2025 February 11 Á The Spider and the Fly
- APOD: 2024 December 17 Á Near to the Heart Nebula
- Phantoms in Cassiopeia
- APOD: 2024 August 28 Á Tulip Nebula and Black Hole Cygnus X 1
- A Sagittarius Triplet
- APOD: 2024 June 19 Á NGC 6188: Dragons of Ara