The Elephant Trunk Nebula, looking like an illustration from Just So Story, stretches across the emission nebula and young star cluster IC 1396. Located deep in the constellation of the Kings, this structure is also known as vdB 142, and the cosmic trunk-like shape on the left is about 20 light-years across. In this detailed telescope image, digital processing has removed the stars to create a composition that emphasizes cold interstellar gas and dust. The twig-like dark clouds harbor the ingredients for star formation, hiding developing foreground stars within them. At a distance of about 3000 light-years, the IC 1396 nebula occupies a large area of the sky and is spread over a region of more than 5 degrees. This starless version has a field of view of about 1 degree, which is about the angular size of two full moons. The dark structures seen at the bottom and to the right of the Elephant Trunk are called “Caravans” by some observers.

August 27, 2021 Astronomy Photo of the Day (NASA APOD)

Image Source & Copyright: Robert Eder