IC1396 – The Elephant Trunk

IC 1396 is a massive, circular emission nebula and star-forming region located approximately 2,400 to 3,000 light-years away in the constellation Cepheus. It spans over 100 light-years across and is often nicknamed the “Elephant’s Trunk Nebula” after its most famous feature, the dark globule IC 1396A.
The Elephant’s Trunk (IC 1396A) is a dense, dark pillar of gas and dust approximately 20 light-years long. The intense radiation and stellar winds from the nearby massive central star carve its distinctive shape. The entire complex is energised and ionised by HD 206267 (a large, bright star in the lower-left part of the picture), a massive, blue multiple-star system located near the centre of the nebula.
IC 1396 is an active site of star formation. Infra-red observations have revealed over 250 young stars and protostars, some less than 100,000 years old, hiding within the Trunk’s dense dust.
On its northern edge lies Mu Cephei (Herschel’s Garnet Star), a famous red supergiant and one of the largest stars known.