The Elephant s Trunk in Cepheus
The Elephant’s Trunk in Cepheus
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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.
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