Elephant's Trunk Nebula

A dense, winding column of gas and dust within the much larger IC 1396 emission nebula in Cepheus, about 2,400 light-years away. The “trunk” is a dark globule being compressed and illuminated by the massive central star HD 206267 — the radiation pressure is actively triggering new star formation inside the pillar while simultaneously eroding it away. Narrowband imaging reveals the glowing rim where ionisation meets cold molecular gas.