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NGC7000 · North America Nebula

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North America Nebula
Credit Ken Crawford · CC BY-SA 4.0
Chinese name北美洲星云
TypeEmission nebula
ConstellationCyg
RA20h59m
Dec+44°
Apparent magnitude4ᵐ
HemisphereNorthern
Best seasonSummer
DifficultyEasy
Focal length广角/中焦 135–400mm

About

The North America Nebula (NGC 7000) lies about 2,600 light-years away in the Milky Way of Cygnus near Deneb, named for an outline resembling the North American continent, with its signature "Gulf of Mexico" carved by the foreground dark dust band LDN 935. Covering ten times the area of the full moon, it is one of the sky's largest emission nebulae, dominated by red hydrogen emission. It and the Pelican Nebula (IC 5070) across the same dust lane are actually one vast ionized hydrogen cloud, likely lit by Deneb or a hidden hot star. Of moderate surface brightness, it suits wide-field imaging alongside the Milky Way or narrowband work to bring out detail, making it Cygnus's most photogenic large-field summer target.