14 DAY TRIAL // A collaboration of scientists used several data sets from multiple NASA telescopes to create an amazing new composite image of the Elephant's Trunk nebula, a cosmic structure also known as IC 1396A. The photo is focused on just one segment of the larger formation, experts say.
In this color-coded image, data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory are shown in purple, while data from the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope are shown in orange in cyan. Additional, visible-wavelength data are shown in red, green and blue.
This is one of the most complex multi-wavelength images of the Elephant's Trunk nebula, which is named for its appearance when viewed in optical wavelengths. The object is located about 2,400 light-years away, in the constellation Cepheus.
This cosmic structure is, in fact, a stellar nursery, a thick cloud of molecule hydrogen where new stars are formed at a fast pace. The vast amounts of radiations and solar winds produced by these stars are responsible for the amazing glow of the nebula.