The Elephant trunk nebula is one of the largest emission nebula's seen from the Earth (170' across). About 2.400 light years from us. Bright with visual magnitude of 5,59. Difficult to see visual.

 

It belongs in the constellation of Cepheus. Concentration of interstellar dust and gas. This nebula owes its name to a dark area to a bright slightly curved rim. The whole complex looks like an elephant trunk. The halo material is illuminated and ionized by a very bright star (the brightest star you see in the picture, just above the center, just below the bright rim of the Elephant trunk). 

 

   The nebula contains several very young stars (aged less than 100.000 years). In the dark bead cavity are two older stars, very young but nevertheless (few million years old). They have formed a small circular cavity in the head of the pellet (globule). Solar winds from these two stars have empty the cavity. 

 

   The combined action of light from the stars of this cluster ionize the material of the light crown, while winds from young stars shifting gas from the center to the outside of the cavity, creating a strong image of the elephant's proboscis. 

 

   Like all emission nebulae, so this area is producing young stars (protostars).

 

 

 photo : colored  (HaRGB)

Technical data of the photos :

Double mosaic. Frames taken with Ha και RGB filters.

Telescope : Takahashi FSQ 106 (with reducer x0.73)

Mount :  NEQ6

CCD camera QSI WSG 683

Guiding camera : meade DSI I

Ha : 9 και 11 frames. 10 min each (600s).
First part  : RGB Red 17x300s, Green 15x300s, Blue : 14x300s
Second part :  RGB Red 22x300s, Green 17x300s, Blue : 14x300s

Processed in  pixinsight and photoshop

Skyros Island, Greece, July 2013