North American Nebula

Database links to NGC 7000 / North America Nebula

Diffuse gas mist
North American Nebula data

Amateur astronomical recording of the North American Nebula
Constellation	swan
Position equinox : J2000.0
Right ascension	20h 58m 47s
declination	+ 44 ° 19 ′ 48 ″
Further data
Angular expansion	120 ′ × 100 ′
history
discovery	William Herschel
Date of discovery	October 24, 1786
Catalog names
NGC 7000 • SH 2-117
Aladin previewer

North American Nebula (also called NGC 7000 ) is the name of a diffuse gas nebula in the constellation Swan in the northern sky .

The nebula got its name because of its shape, which is reminiscent of a map of the North American continent. In the sky the nebula is very extensive at 120 by 100 arc minutes (the full moon has a diameter of approx. 30 '). It is relatively easy to find as it is located a little east of the bright star Deneb (α Cygni) in the Swan.

The gas mist is between 2,000 and 3,000 light-years away (its exact distance is difficult to determine), and consists mainly of hydrogen, the partially in ionized occurring form (HII) and visible light in the form of deep red radiation emitted . The fog appears intensely reddish in long-exposure photographs.

The visual observation of the fog, however, despite its overall brightness of 6 mag quite difficult. You need a completely dark, moonless sky that is not disturbed by any artificial light sources. The fog can then be perceived as a diffuse object with prism binoculars .

The North American Nebula was discovered by William Herschel in 1786 . In 1891 Max Wolf observed the nebula at his private observatory in Heidelberg with his 6 " double astrograph . The observation was one of the first with the help of astrophotography .

location

Location of the North American Nebula (NGC 7000) in the constellation Swan between the star cluster Messier 39 and Deneb

The North American Nebula lies east of the brightest star Deneb in the tail of the zodiac sign of the swan. It is located between the stars number 57 and number 62 ( ) of the constellation Swan. ${\ displaystyle \ xi}$