Saturday, August 10, 2024

Cygnus' Deep Sky Treasures (all night)

The constellation of Cygnus, the Swan is located high in the eastern sky after dusk in mid-August and passes the zenith just before midnight local time. Dark nights between last quarter and new moon are ideal for seeing the many spectacular, but dim objects in the constellation. The large North America Nebula (NGC 7000), named for its distinctive shape, is a glowing hydrogen
cloud located less than 3 degrees east of Deneb. Try using binoculars on it. The Pelican Nebula (IC 5070) is another, smaller nebula sitting just to the southwest of NGC 7000. The fragmented Veil Nebula (NGC 6995 and 6974) is a
huge supernova remnant 2.5 degrees (five full moon diameters) across, and centered 3 degrees south of the star Gienah (epsilon Cygni). The Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888) is positioned 2.5 degrees southwest of the bright star Sadr. For best results, use the largest aperture telescope you can, and enhance the nebulas with an Oxygen-III or Ultra High Contrast filter.

(Data courtesy of Starry Night)
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