Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]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.

                               2026 August 20
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                       The Elephant's Trunk in Cepheus
               Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Eddie Sgarbossa

   Explanation: Like an illustration in a galactic [5]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
   [6]of Cepheus. Also known as vdB 142, this cosmic elephant's trunk is
   over 20 light-years long. [7]The detailed telescopic view features the
   bright swept-back ridges and pockets of cool [8]interstellar dust and
   gas that abound in the region. But the [9]dark, tendril-shaped clouds
   contain the raw material for star formation and hide [10]protostars
   within. Nearly 3,000 light-years distant, the relatively faint [11]IC
   1396 complex covers a large region on the sky, spanning over 5 degrees.
   Top to bottom this proboscidean-like rendition reaches across an almost
   1 degree wide field of view, though. That's a little less than the
   angular size of 2 full moons.

                     Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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      Authors & editors: [23]Robert Nemiroff ([24]MTU) & Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([25]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [26]Specific rights apply.
            [27]NASA Web Privacy, [28]Accessibility, [29]Notices;
                A service of: [30]ASD at [31]NASA / [32]GSFC,
                         [33]NASA Science Activation
                           & [34]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2608/IMG_5201_sgarbossa.jpeg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://app.astrobin.com/u/EddieSgarbossa#gallery
   5. http://www.boop.org/jan/justso/elephant.htm
   6. http://www.hawastsoc.org/deepsky/cep/
   7. https://app.astrobin.com/u/EddieSgarbossa?i=qjfmdv&r=C
   8. http://www-ssg.sr.unh.edu/ism/what1.html
   9. https://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/image/ssc2003-06b-dark-globule-in-ic-1396
  10. https://arxiv.org/abs/0808.3013
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170720.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260819.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  16. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  18. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  21. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260820
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260821.html
  23. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/department/faculty/nemiroff/
  24. https://www.mtu.edu/physics
  25. https://www.astro.umd.edu/
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  27. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  28. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  29. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  30. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  33. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  34. http://www.mtu.edu/