NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day for Aug. 20, 2026 featured the Elephant’s Trunk Nebula, also known as vdB 142, in the constellation Cepheus. The image was credited to Eddie Sgarbossa; the APOD authors and editors were Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, Robert Nemiroff and Keighley Rockcliffe.

The nebula, described as over 20 light-years long, winds through the emission region and young star cluster complex IC 1396. According to the accompanying explanation, its bright swept-back ridges and pockets of cool interstellar dust and gas include dark, tendril-shaped clouds that contain raw material for star formation and hide protostars within.

The IC 1396 complex is nearly 3,000 light-years distant and spans over 5 degrees on the sky. The image’s field of view, top to bottom, is almost 1 degree wide, a little less than the angular size of two full moons.