Elephant's Trunk Nebula

The Elephant's Trunk Nebula is located in the constellation Cepheus, approximately 2,400 light-years away from Earth. It is officially cataloged by astronomers as IC 1396A. The structure is a dense, dark globule situated within the much larger IC 1396 emission nebula complex.

Yes, infrared observations have revealed that the Elephant's Trunk Nebula is a highly active star-forming region. Astronomers have discovered several very young stars, some estimated to be less than 100,000 years old, hidden within its dense dust clouds. These protostars are actively sweeping away the surrounding gas and shaping the nebula's famous trunk-like structure.

It earned its name because the bright rim of dark cosmic dust and gas resembles the curved trunk of an elephant in optical telescopic images. The shape is formed by the intense radiation and stellar winds from nearby massive stars pushing into the darker gases. It is a classic example of an evaporating gaseous globule.

The Elephant's Trunk Nebula is officially cataloged as IC 1396A. The 'IC' stands for the Index Catalogue, a historical astronomical update to the New General Catalogue. The wider, sprawling nebula complex that contains the trunk is simply referred to as IC 1396.