Gear:

Telescope: Stellarvue SVX130T-R
Mount: Software Bisque Paramount MX
Camera: Player One Poseidon-C Pro
Filter: Optolong L-Ultimate 2"
Accessories: 3.5" Feathertouch • Stellarvue SFFR
Guiding: Starfield 50mm Guide Scope • ASI462MC
Software: Photoshop • PixInsight • TheSkyX • Starkeeper Voyager • GraXpert • PHD2

Description:

The Pelican Nebula, designated as both IC 5070 and IC 5067, is a vast cloud of gas and dust, stretching over 10 light-years in diameter(1). Despite its size, IC 5070 is not visible to the naked eye, as its gases are spread out and quite dim. However, with a pair of binoculars or a small telescope (e.g., 3"), observers can catch a glimpse of this nebula as a faint patch of gray light(1). The Pelican Nebula is located near another famous nebula, the North America Nebula, and is separated from it by a dark molecular cloud known as the "Cygnus Wall"(1).

This celestial object has been the subject of extensive observations and analysis. In a study using the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS), researchers focused on the North American and Pelican Nebulae, including IC 5070. They analyzed the properties unique to these nebulae, such as their dust temperature, density, and star formation activity(2). The researchers found that the Pelican Nebula exhibits a complex structure, with multiple regions of star formation and a variety of dust temperatures(2). This complexity suggests that IC 5070 is a dynamic and evolving astronomical object, with ongoing processes of star birth and death shaping its appearance and properties.

Depicted in the HOO color palette. (Hubble Inspired)

Sources:

• (1) https://www.galactic-hunter.com/post/ic-5070-20-hours-on-the-pelican-nebula-from-the-backyard
• (2) https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0067-0049/193/2/25

Distance: 1,800 light-years
Size: 10 light-years

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Location in the Night Sky

(Star Chart created using PixInsight)

All Images    Craig Sherris