Behold: the Elephant’s Trunk Nebula winding its way through the star cluster complex of IC1396, some 3000 light years distant in the constellation of Cepheus. To wit:

Also known as vdB 142, the cosmic elephant’s trunk is over 20 light-years long. This colourful close-up view was recorded through narrow band filters that transmit the light from ionised hydrogen, sulphur, and oxygen atoms in the region. The resulting composite highlights the bright, swept-back ridges that outline pockets of cool interstellar dust and gas. Such embedded, dark, tendril-shaped clouds contain the raw material for star formation and hide protostars within

(Image: Chuck Ayoub)

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5 thoughts on “Whoa, Nelly!

  1. Ian-O

    I think it more resembles a silhouette of a woman from behind.

    The top looks like the back of a head and then you have the visible shoulder and arm on her left side with the right side not visible and then after the missing parts, leads down to what looks like a skirt or robe at the end.

    Am I just imaging that or do others see it?

  2. Spaghetti Hoop

    OMG that freaked me out with the figure walking towards me and the Betty Blue face features in the blue bit. Space is a divil.

      1. Cú Chulainn

        It’s the back of a woman, draped like the Statue of Liberty, holding a giant club aloft in her left outstretched hand. It has a fire in the centre of the bas and it’s out of size so obviously it’s the club of vengeance and she is going to smote some bad ass mother..

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