The Elephant's Trunk Mine is an asteroid base situated within the inner rings of a gas giant. The occupants of the station, the Mapas Dynasty, value their isolation: the station is 2,700 ly away from civilization. In addition to mining, which can be done literally next to the station (as long as Commanders stay out of the no-fire zone!), the base sees plenty of traffic from tourists as well. Interested Commanders can hire on not just people who want to head farther out into the galaxy, but also those who wish to head back to the inhabited worlds.

Astrophotography by Marx

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One of the most iconic nebulae in astronomy, the Elephant's Trunk nebula is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust within the much larger ionized gas region IC 1396. It is located in the constellation Cepheus and about 2,400 light years away from Sol. What gives the Trunk its striking appearance is the colourplay between the illuminated patches of interstellar dust and gas and the relatively dark areas in between. These dark areas are thought to be small voids where massive bright stars eroded away all the surrounding gas and thus left a 'hole' or a 'rift' in the complex.

The Elephant's Trunk is one of the most heavily surveyed areas of star formation. Exploration is still ongoing, and as of April 3303 a small asteroid base has been set up in the vicinity to facilitate access to the area.