NGC 7000, the “North America” emission nebula: a narrowband image
Here it is the famous “North America” emission nebula (NGC 7000), captured in H-alpha, revealing its mind-blowing details.
NGC 7000, the “North America” emission nebula in H-alpha.
The image above comes from the sigma-clipping combination of 12, 120-second exposures, remotely taken with the ARTEC250+Paramount ME+C3Pro61000EC robotic unit available as part of the Virtual Telescope Project facility in Manciano, Italy, under the darkest skies of the Italian peninsula.
Among the wonders of the northern sky, NGC 7000 stands out for its unmistakable shape, which has earned it the nickname “North America”. Located in the constellation Cygnus, about 2,000 light-years from us, it is a vast region of gas and dust where new stars are born, actually one of the most iconic of its kind.
This image, captured using an H-alpha filter through one of the instruments of the Virtual Telescope Project, shows the luminous emission of ionized hydrogen, revealing the delicate structures of the interstellar gas.
NGC 7000, whose discovery is attributed to the great astronomer Herschel, is part of a larger complex that also includes the Pelican Nebula (IC 5070). The two nebulae appear separated by a dark band of dust (the so-called “Gulf of Mexico”, aka Lynds Dark Nebula 935), which is centered in this image. In reality, it is a dense, opaque cloud that blocks the view of the stars lying behind it.
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