                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2021 September 16

                        North America and the Pelican
                  Image Credit & Copyright: Andrew Klinger

   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 narrow band
   images combined to highlight the bright ionization fronts and the
   characteristic glow from atomic hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen gas. These
   nebulae can be seen with binoculars from a dark location. Look
   northeast of bright star Deneb in the constellation Cygnus the Swan.

                    Tomorrow's picture: Lynds Dark Nebula
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