Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Cepheus (Cep)  ·  Contains:  IC 1396

Image of the day 08/11/2016

Elephant's Trunk Nebula (bicolor), John Renaud
Elephant's Trunk Nebula (bicolor)
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Elephant's Trunk Nebula (bicolor)

Image of the day 08/11/2016

Elephant's Trunk Nebula (bicolor), John Renaud
Elephant's Trunk Nebula (bicolor)
Powered byPixInsight

Elephant's Trunk Nebula (bicolor)

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Description

The Elephant's Trunk Nebula is an elongated dark globule that lies some 2400 light-years away in the constellation of Cepheus. Situated in the larger IC 1396 nebula, it is a dense concentration of interstellar gas and dust that is being compressed by intense radiation and stellar winds from a very bright, massive star triplet nearby (seen in the image as the big, bluish "star" directly above the globule). The winds are responsible for the bright, circular rim that makes up the "head" of the globule, as well as the tail of gas (just to the left of globule in the image). The globule is backlit by the star triplet and therefore appears silhouetted when viewed in the visible-light wavelength range. Infrared images taken by the Spitzer Space Telescope show many previously hidden stars in the globule, including many young stars.

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Revisions

    Elephant's Trunk Nebula (bicolor), John Renaud
    Original
    Elephant's Trunk Nebula (bicolor), John Renaud
    B
  • Final
    Elephant's Trunk Nebula (bicolor), John Renaud
    C

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Elephant's Trunk Nebula (bicolor), John Renaud

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