IC 1396 and the Elephant Trunk nebula

Description:

The Elephant Trunk Nebula is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust in the much larger IC 1396 region of ionized gas located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light-years from Earth. The dark, dense globule IC 1396A is commonly called the Elephant Trunk Nebula because of its appearance at visible light wavelengths, where there is a dark spot with a bright, curvy edge. The bright edge is the surface of the dense cloud that is illuminated and ionized by a very bright, massive star that lies just to the east of IC 1396A. The entire IC 1396 region is ionized by the massive star, except for the dense globules that can shield themselves from the star’s harsh ultraviolet radiation.