The Elephant Trunk's Nebula

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The Elephant’s Trunk Nebula is a faint emission nebula distanced approximately 2,450 light years away from the Earth. The nebula is composed of hydrogen gas and young nascent stars. The top of the trunk is being blown away by radiation from newborn stars igniting within the hydrogen. The trunk of the nebula is approximately 20 light years long.  This image is a result of 8 hours of exposure time.