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Credit & Copyright: Frank Sackenheim
Explanation:
Fans of our fair planet
might recognize the outlines of these
cosmic
clouds.
On the left, bright emission outlined by dark, obscuring dust lanes
seems to trace a continental shape, lending the popular name
North America
Nebula
to the emission region cataloged as NGC 7000.
To the right, just off the North America Nebula's east coast,
is IC 5070, whose avian
profile suggests
the
Pelican Nebula.
The two bright nebulae are about 1,500 light-years away,
part of the same
large and complex
star forming region, almost as nearby as the
better-known Orion Nebula.
At that distance, the 3 degree wide field of view would span
80 light-years.
This careful
cosmic portrait
uses narrowband images combined to highlight the bright
ionization fronts
and the characteristic glow from atomic hydrogen, and oxygen
gas.
These nebulae can be seen with binoculars from a dark location.
Look northeast of bright star
Deneb in Cygnus the Swan, soaring high in the northern summer
night sky.
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NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: North America Nebula - Pelican Nebula
Publications with words: North America Nebula - Pelican Nebula
See also: