Hello! Astronomy Picture of the Day - August 1st, 2020
Today's video is about The Elephant's Trunk Nebula in Cepheus
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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