                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2024 November 21

                       The Elephant's Trunk in Cepheus
           Image Credit: Image 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.

                     Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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