Canon XSi, modded, Total RGB 125 min. = 25x5 min, ISO 1600
Baader MPCC, LXD75-SN10 OTA, EQ6 mount, guided w/PHD and EQMOD

2450 light years away in the constellation Cepheus, a huge area of dense dust and gas, lies within an even larger cloud of glowing hydrogen, which is ionized by the radiation emmitted by a nearby massive star.

As are many hydrogen clouds, the Elephant Trunk is also a stellar nursery, where new stars are born from within the condensing clouds of dust and gas.

At the round end of the Elephant Trunk, as can be seen very well in this image, newborn stars are driving away the gas and dust and creating an opening within the nebula.