Elephant's Trunk Nebula (IC 1396)

II

Identity & coordinates

Identification

Primary designation: IC 1396
All designations: IC 1396 · Elephant's Trunk Nebula
Object type: Nebula
Constellation: Cepheus
Best viewing: Autumn · Winter

Coordinates & physical

Right ascension (J2000): 21h 38m 57s
Declination (J2000): +57° 29' 20"
Apparent magnitude (V): —
Distance: —

III

Visibility tonight

IV

In your gallery

August 21, 2025 · Backyard Observatory, Michigan

Elephant's Trunk

Star formation, frozen mid-collapse.

Integration

6h

Subs

360 × 60s

Telescope

Celestron Origin

Camera

Sony IMX178 (built-in)

Bortle

6

Moon

Waxing Crescent, 13%

View full capture

V

The science

The Elephant's Trunk Nebula is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust within the much larger ionized gas region IC 1396 located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth. The nebula is a dark, dense globule that gets its name from its appearance at visible light wavelengths, where there is a dark patch with a bright, sinuous rim. The bright rim is the surface of the dense cloud that is being illuminated and ionized by a very bright, massive multiple star that is just to the east of the Elephant's Trunk Nebula. The entire IC 1396 region is ionized by the massive star, except for dense globules that can protect themselves from the star's harsh ultraviolet rays.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia · CC-BY-SA-4.0

VI