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.

                               2021 August 27
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                        Elephant's Trunk and Caravan
                 Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Robert Eder

   Explanation: Like an illustration in a galactic [5]Just So Story, the
   Elephant's Trunk Nebula winds through the emission nebula and young
   star cluster [6]complex IC 1396, in the high and far off constellation
   [7]of Cepheus. Also known as vdB 142, seen on the left the cosmic
   elephant's trunk is over 20 light-years long. Removed by digital
   processing, no [8]visible stars are in this detailed telescopic
   close-up view highlighting the bright swept-back ridges that outline
   pockets of cool [9]interstellar dust and gas. But the dark,
   [10]tendril-shaped clouds contain the raw material for star formation
   and hide [11]protostars within. Nearly 3,000 [12]light-years distant,
   the relatively faint IC 1396 complex
   covers a large region on the sky, spanning over 5 degrees. [13]This
   starless rendition spans a 1 degree wide field of view though, about
   the angular size of 2 full moons. [14]Of course the dark shapes below
   and right, marching toward the winding Elephant's Trunk, are known to
   some as The Caravan.

                 Tomorrow's picture: looking for a good rock
     __________________________________________________________________

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    Authors & editors: [26]Robert Nemiroff ([27]MTU) & [28]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([29]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [30]Specific rights apply.
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                A service of: [32]ASD at [33]NASA / [34]GSFC
                           & [35]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2108/ElephantTrunkCaravan.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://artis-mastering.at/kontakt
   5. http://www.boop.org/jan/justso/elephant.htm
   6. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap050908.html
   7. http://www.hawastsoc.org/deepsky/cep/
   8. https://www.astrobin.com/4d0x0n/
   9. http://www-ssg.sr.unh.edu/ism/what1.html
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070218.html
  11. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/1058-ssc2003-06b-Dark-Globule-in-IC-1396
  12. http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/cosmic/
  13. https://www.astrobin.com/6fy8mc/
  14. http://www.boop.org/jan/justso/
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210826.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  19. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  24. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=210827
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210828.html
  26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  27. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  28. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  29. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  32. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  33. https://www.nasa.gov/
  34. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  35. http://www.mtu.edu/