Spanning more than 100 light years across, North America Nebula is a vast emission region in the constellation Cygnus, shaped strikingly like the continent that gives it its name. Located about 2,600 light years away, this immense cloud of ionized hydrogen glows primarily from the energetic radiation of nearby massive stars, most notably the embedded cluster associated with IC 5070. In HOO mapping, hydrogen-alpha emission is rendered in fiery gold and red tones, while doubly ionized oxygen appears in cool blues, revealing the complex layering of energized gas.
This 193 hour integration, captured over 35 nights from a Bortle 8.5 backyard in Nashville, Tennessee, demonstrates the power of long exposure under heavy light pollution. Intricate dust lanes carve through the luminous gas, including dark molecular pillars silhouetted against bright ionization fronts. The image reveals delicate turbulence where stellar winds sculpt the nebula’s surface, offering a detailed look at an active star-forming region within our Milky Way.
Spanning more than 100 light years across, North America Nebula is a vast emission region in the constellation Cygnus, shaped strikingly like the continent that gives it its name. Located about 2,600 light years away, this immense cloud of ionized hydrogen glows primarily from the energetic radiation of nearby massive stars, most notably the embedded cluster associated with IC 5070. In HOO mapping, hydrogen-alpha emission is rendered in fiery gold and red tones, while doubly ionized oxygen appears in cool blues, revealing the complex layering of energized gas.
This 193 hour integration, captured over 35 nights from a Bortle 8.5 backyard in Nashville, Tennessee, demonstrates the power of long exposure under heavy light pollution. Intricate dust lanes carve through the luminous gas, including dark molecular pillars silhouetted against bright ionization fronts. The image reveals delicate turbulence where stellar winds sculpt the nebula’s surface, offering a detailed look at an active star-forming region within our Milky Way.