Cygnus: Stars, Nebulae & Wall

Within the vast constellation Cygnus, a few celestial neighbors put on a stunning display. NGC 7000, also known as the North America Nebula, is an emission nebula. Its glowing hydrogen gas clouds bear an uncanny resemblance to the continent, complete with a prominent Gulf of Mexico. Right next door lies IC 5070, the Pelican Nebula. This emission nebula takes its name from its shape, evoking a pelican tucked into its chest. These nebulas are star-forming regions, with energetic young stars illuminating the surrounding gas. Astrometry from Gaiai mission gives the North America and Pelican nebulae a distance of 2,590 light-years.Nestled within the North America Nebula (NGC 7000) is a much smaller player, NGC 6997. This is an open star cluster, a collection of young stars likely born from the same giant molecular cloud as the nebula itself. Open clusters are loosely bound by gravity and tend to disperse over time.

The W-shaped ridge of the nebula resembling Mexico and Central America is known as the Cygnus Wall. Exhibiting the most concentrated star formation and spans ~20 light-years.

RGB image from narrowband data SHO 9h 50m (39:43:36 x 300s). Taken from SPA-1 setup, a Takahashi FSQ-106EDX4 with Paramount MX+ mount, QHY 600M Pro camera, and Astrodon Ha (3nm), SII (3nm), OIII (3nm) filters. Situated in IC Astronomy Observatory, Spain. Part of telescope.live telescope network. Taken on multiple dates in May, June, Oct, and Nov 2023.

Processed in PixInsight.