                        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.

                                 2023 June 8

                        Elephant's Trunk and Caravan
          Image Credit & Copyright: Steve Cannistra (StarryWonders)

   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. Seen on the left the cosmic elephant's trunk, also known as
   vdB 142, is over 20 light-years long. This 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. Of course the dark shapes below and to the right
   of the outstretched Elephant's Trunk, are known to some as The Caravan.

                     Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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