Subj : Daily APOD Report
To   : All
From : Alan Ianson
Date : Fri Aug 27 2021 00:11:06

                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2021 August 27

                        Elephant's Trunk and Caravan
                    Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Eder

   Explanation: Like an illustration in a galactic Just So Story, the
   Elephant's Trunk Nebula winds through the emission nebula and young
   star cluster complex IC 1396, in the high and far off constellation of
   Cepheus. Also known as vdB 142, seen on the left the cosmic elephant's
   trunk is over 20 light-years long. Removed by digital processing, no
   visible stars are in this detailed telescopic close-up view
   highlighting the bright swept-back ridges that outline pockets of cool
   interstellar dust and gas. But the dark, tendril-shaped clouds contain
   the raw material for star formation and hide protostars within. Nearly
   3,000 light-years distant, the relatively faint IC 1396 complex
   covers a large region on the sky, spanning over 5 degrees. This
   starless rendition spans a 1 degree wide field of view though, about
   the angular size of 2 full moons. Of course the dark shapes below and
   right, marching toward the winding Elephant's Trunk, are known to some
   as The Caravan.

                 Tomorrow's picture: looking for a good rock
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