Starship Asterisk*

The North America and Pelican Nebulas

Explanation: Here lie familiar shapes in unfamiliar locations. On the left is an emission nebula cataloged as NGC 7000, famous partly because it resembles our fair planet's continent of North America. The emission region to the right of the North America Nebula is IC 5070, also known for its suggestive outlines as the Pelican Nebula. Separated by a dark cloud of obscuring dust, the two bright nebulae are about 1,500 light-years away. At that distance, the 4 degree wide field of view spans 100 light-years. This spectacular cosmic portrait combines narrow band images to highlight bright ionization fronts with fine details of dark, dusty forms in silhouette. Emission from atomic hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen is captured in the narrow band image in scientifically assigned colors. These nebulae can be seen with binoculars from a dark location.

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As with many APOD's the high resolution version reveals a great amount of detail. It must represent how much more one can see from such a "dark location". Either that or one of Alex Filippenko's versions of a black hole finally made it to APOD.

Fred the Cat wrote:As with many APOD's the high resolution version reveals a great amount of detail.

However, some detail is lacking in the wavelengths used for this image. For example, stars are generally weak, so the mini-Orion asterism off the Gulf of Mexico in the North America Nebula, which shows nicely in a previous APOD linked in today's text is barely visible in today's APOD. This asterism plus the adjoining Gulf area is one of my favorite visual telescopic views.

Joe Stieber wrote:

Fred the Cat wrote:As with many APOD's the high resolution version reveals a great amount of detail.

However, some detail is lacking in the wavelengths used for this image. For example, stars are generally weak, so the mini-Orion asterism off the Gulf of Mexico in the North America Nebula, which shows nicely in a previous APOD linked in today's text is barely visible in today's APOD. This asterism plus the adjoining Gulf area is one of my favorite visual telescopic views.

You are right. The star fields are much more prevalent in the older image. To view the North America nebula with binoculars from a dark site will be a good "next" target on a clear night. Thanks! I am curious what it will appear like with my 25 x 100 binos.

"scientifically assigned colors]" (https://petlawblog.files.wordpress.com/ ... -paint.jpg, ha ha.

tennisjazz wrote:"scientifically assigned colors]" (https://petlawblog.files.wordpress.com/ ... -paint.jpg, ha ha.

I liked that too. As opposed to "artistically" appointed colors.

Fred the Cat wrote:You are right. The star fields are much more prevalent in the older image. To view the North America nebula with binoculars from a dark site will be a good "next" target on a clear night. Thanks! I am curious what it will appear like with my 25 x 100 binos.

It looks pretty good through my 11x70 binoculars, but it would be even better if I could use a narrowband filter with them.

It looks like a worm-bird leading it's bird bird through space and time, whilst being marauded by a dratini.