Enthusiasts of our planet may recognize the shapes of these cosmic clouds. On the left, a bright emission region surrounded by dark and faint dust bands resembles the contours of a continent. For this reason, this region, known as NGC 7000, has been named the North American Nebula. To the right, to the east of the North American Nebula, is IC 5070, known as the Pelican Nebula because of its bird-like shape. Both bright nebulae are about 1500 light-years away, about as close as the Hunter Nebula. A wide field of view of 3 degrees in this region offers a cosmic landscape that spans 80 light-years. This detailed portrait of the sky was combined with narrow-band imaging techniques to reveal the bright boundaries of ionized gases and the characteristic glow of hydrogen, sulfur and oxygen gases. To see these impressive nebulae using binoculars in a dark environment, look northeast to the star Deneb in the constellation Cygnus.

September 16, 2021 Astronomy Photo of the Day (NASA APOD)

Image Source & Copyright: Andrew Klinger