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> The Elephant Trunk Nebula (VDB 142) in Cepheus

The Elephant Trunk Nebula (VDB 142) in Cepheus

author: P.Mortfield/S.Cancelli/Novapix

reference: a-nec13-96017

Image Size 300 DPI: 33 * 33 cm

The Elephant Trunk Nebula (IC 1396A) in Cepheus is part of the larger IC 1396 complex which spans a large area of the sky measuring 170 by 140 arc-minutes and is one of the brightest emission nebulae with a magnitude of 3.5. The western portion of IC 1396 contains the Elephant Trunk Nebula (IC 1396A) which is characterized with H-II emissions, dark lanes and globules as well as a small reflection nebula. The IC 1396 complex is technically a star cluster (aka Cr 439, Trumpler 37) owing to the presence of a developing open but loose cluster at the heart of this rich nebulosity. This open star cluster is comprised of 50-100 member stars which vary in brightness spanning an area of approximately 50' in diameter and which are not very well detached from the background sky. This stellar nursery lies at a distance of 2,720 light-years away. Image taken with a 16 inch telescope in combining the light from 3 different filters tracing emission from oxygen, hydrogen, and sulphur.

Keywords for this photo:

2008 - ASTRONOMY - CEPHEUS - DARK NEBULA - EMISSION NEBULA - FALSE COLOR - IC 1396 - NEBULA - SII-Ha-OIII - STAR - STAR FORMATION - VDB 142 -