                        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.

                                2020 August 1

                   The Elephant's Trunk Nebula in Cepheus
                    Image Credit & Copyright: Chad Leader

   Explanation: Like an illustration in 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. Also known as vdB 142, the cosmic elephant's trunk is over 20
   light-years long. This detailed close-up view was recorded through
   narrow band filters that transmit the light from ionized hydrogen and
   oxygen atoms in the region. The resulting composite highlights the
   bright swept-back ridges that outline pockets of cool interstellar dust
   and gas. Such embedded, 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 dramatic scene
   spans a 1 degree wide field of view though, about the size of 2 Full
   Moons.

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