Elephant’s Trunk Nebula

The Elephant's Trunk Nebula is an elongated region of interstellar gas and dust located within the larger emission nebula IC 1396 in the constellation Cepheus. This dark structure stretches across several light-years, shaped by intense stellar winds and radiation from nearby young, massive stars. Rich in molecular hydrogen, it is an active stellar nursery where new stars are born amid dense clumps within the nebula.