"NASA's Stunning Daily Astronomy Pictures: Elephant's Trunk Nebula and Double Ring Galaxy"

NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day features the Elephant's Trunk Nebula, located about 3000 light-years from Earth towards the constellation of Cepheus. This nebula resides in a young star cluster, given the designation of IC 1396. The snapshot was captured by astrophotographer Steve Cannistra and features the bright swept-back ridges and pockets of cool interstellar dust and gas that abound in the region.