Re-processing: NGC 7000

NGC 7000 | The North American Nebula

Horrible weather means going back into the archives! Time to use some new processing techniques and a new workflow in Pixinsight to get better results. The data here was captured in June and represents about 8 hours over two nights. Each night I used a different filter: the Askar C1 for Ha/OIII, and the Askar C2 for SII/OIII. I split the images into their respective channels and recombined them. Ha and SII are red, OIII is blue. The benefits of narrowband in light polluted skies is really on display here.

About NGC 7000…

The North American Nebula, or NGC 7000, is a large emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, about 2,000 light-years from Earth. It covers about 3 degrees in the sky, making it roughly six times the size of the full moon. Its shape resembles North America, hence its name. The nebula consists mainly of hydrogen gas and dust, lit up by nearby young, hot stars. Key features include bright emission areas and dark dust regions, creating a striking visual contrast. Observers often use telescopes with filters to enhance its colors, especially hydrogen-alpha, revealing detailed features of this star-forming region.