IC 5070 - The Pelican Nebula

The Pelican Nebula, IC 5070, is a large area of emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, close to the star Deneb, and separated by its brighter, larger neighbor, the North American Nebula by a molecular cloud filled with dark dust. This particular nebula is highly studied because it contains an active mix of star formation as well as evolving gas clouds. Light from young hot stars is slowly ionizing the local cold gas and causing it to advance outward. Cold dense filaments of gas can still be seen as narrow black streaks within the nebula.

Image Specifications:

     •  Instrument:  Takahashi FS-102 Refractor (820mm - f/8) with 0.8x Televue reducer
     •  Camera:  Canon 20Da
     •  Filters:  Hutech IDAS LPS (Light Pollution)
     •  Mount:  Losmandy GM-8 Equatorial
     •  Guiding:  None
     •  Time / Date :  October 14, 2006, 9:30PM EST
     •  Location:  Coyle Field, NJ
     •  Weather:  Clear, 50degF
     •  Primary Exposure :  10 x 4min, ISO 1600, RAW, average combined
     •  Calibration Frames:  5 x 4min, ISO 1600, RAW, dark frames
     •  Image Processing :  Images Plus, Photoshop CS2, NoiseNinja