|
Credit: Robert Gendler
Explanation:
Like a picture from 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.
Bright swept-back ridges
compose the suggestive form, outlining pockets of interstellar dust
and gas.
Such embedded dark,
comet-shaped clouds contain the
raw material for star formation.
About 3,000
light-years distant, the relatively faint
IC
1396 complex covers a much larger region on the sky than shown
here, with an apparent width of more than 10 full moons.
This
close-up telescopic view is a delightful
color
mosaic of two digital images intended to follow
the 'satiable
curious cosmic trunk.
|
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: nebula - star formation - IC 1396
Publications with words: nebula - star formation - IC 1396
See also: