APOD: 2026 August 20 – The Elephant’s Trunk in Cepheus
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 August 20 – The… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. The Elephant’s […]
On August 20, 2026, the Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) showcased an image of the Elephant's Trunk Nebula in the constellation Cepheus. Known also as vdB 142, this nebula is a winding 20-light-year long structure located about 3,000 light-years away from Earth. The APOD image offered a detailed view of the nebula's bright, swept-back ridges and pockets of cool interstellar dust and gas, with dark, tendril-shaped clouds hiding protostars within.
Spanning an impressive 1 degree across the night sky, the Elephant's Trunk Nebula is a sizable cosmic formation, nearly twice the angular size of two full moons. The image provided a vast field of view, capturing the nebula's intricate details and the surrounding emission region and young star cluster complex IC 1396.
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- APOD: 2026 August 20 – The Elephant’s Trunk in Cepheus science.nasa.gov
