'Elephant trunks' in space: WISE captures image of star-forming cloud of dust and gas
Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 16:30
in Astronomy & Space
NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, captured this image of a star-forming cloud of dust and gas, called Sh2-284, located in the constellation of Monoceros. Lining up along the edges of a cosmic hole are several "elephant trunks" -- or monstrous pillars of dense gas and dust.