Title
Glowing stellar nursery
Caption
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope image of a glowing stellar nursery provides a spectacular contrast to the opaque cloud seen in visible light (inset). The Elephant's Trunk Nebula is an elongated dark globule within the emission nebula IC 1396 in the constellation of Cepheus. Located at a distance of 2,450 light-years, the globule is a condensation of dense gas that is barely surviving the strong ionizing radiation from a nearby massive star. The globule is being compressed by the surrounding ionized gas. The dark globule is seen in silhouette at visible-light wavelengths, backlit by the illumination of a bright star located to the left of the field of view.
Date
21th century
Credit line
Photo12/Ann Ronan Picture Library
Reference
ARP15A02_198
License type
Rights managed
Available size
51,1Mb (1,5Mb) / 15,5in x 12,8in / 4660 x 3832 (300dpi)