Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Cepheus (Cep)  ·  Contains:  IC 1396
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IC 1396a - Elephant's Trunk Nebula, Hap Griffin
IC 1396a - Elephant's Trunk Nebula
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IC 1396a - Elephant's Trunk Nebula

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IC 1396a - Elephant's Trunk Nebula, Hap Griffin
IC 1396a - Elephant's Trunk Nebula
Powered byPixInsight

IC 1396a - Elephant's Trunk Nebula

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Description

IC1396a, sometimes called the "Elephant's Trunk Nebula" is a huge column of cold hydrogen gas and dust within the much larger IC1396 nebula complex, one of the largest emission nebulae visible in the sky. It is being ionized and blown away by the ultraviolet radiation from nearby stars. Inside the "head" of the nebula can be seen a hollowed out area caused by the formation of the small young star within it (LkHa349c) and the three solar mass star LkHa349a to its lower left. The dark globules are area where gas and dust are coalescing under gravity and shock waves into new stars. IC1396 lies at a distance of 1500 lights years.

This image was captured through a narrowband filter admitting only a narrow slice of spectrum around the wavelength of glowing hydrogen. Thus it is a monochrome (single color) image displayed as shades of grey.

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IC 1396a - Elephant's Trunk Nebula, Hap Griffin