Astrophotographer Terry Hancock has captured a dramatic view of the star-forming region IC 1396 — also known as the Elephant's Trunk Nebula — shining in deep space some 2,400 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cepheus.
IC 1396 is an emission nebula — a vast cloud of gas and dust that emits its own light after being ionized by ultraviolet radiation blasted out from the young stars embedded within. The dense, dark filaments silhouetted against the glowing gas are rich with material that will give rise to future generations of stars.
