September 24, 2024

NGC 7000 – North America Nebula in Cygnus

NGC 7000 – North America Nebula in Cygnus

NGC 7000 is part of a vast region of interstellar hydrogen near the plane of the Milky Way just east of the bright star Deneb. Note how the nebula appears to host a rich star field while the dark regions to the left and right appear to be relatively sparse. This shows that the nebula is actually in the background and the dark regions that give the nebula is characteristic shape are lanes of dust in the foreground blocking the light from the distant stars. The northern regions of the nebula include two open clusters; Cr 428 to the upper left and NGC 6996 to the upper right. The nebula to the right is the eastern section of IC 5070, The Pelican Nebula.

The North America Nebula is currently well placed in the northeast late in the evening and is high overhead at dawn.