Credits: Keith Turnecliff, Long Itchington

The North America Nebula is a large emission nebula located in the vicinity of Deneb, the brightest star in Cygnus.
The nebula is famous for its shape, which bears a striking resemblance to that of the North America continent.
NGC7000 is circumpolar and viewable all year round to northern latitude observers.

Facts about NGC7000 by Keith Turnecliff

Despite having a large apparent size, more than four times that of the full Moon, and a visual magnitude that puts it in the naked eye range, the North America Nebula usually cannot be seen without binoculars because it has a low surface brightness. It requires exceptionally good observing conditions to be seen with the naked eye. In clear, dark skies it appears as a portion of the Milky Way. In binoculars and small telescopes it appears as a fuzzy patch of light. The best way to observe it is with UHC or OIII filters. The nebula’s shape and distinctly reddish colour can only be seen in photographs.

This star chart represents a view from Long Itchington for early October at 10pm.
Credits: Image courtesy of Starry Night Pro Plus 8, researched and implemented by Keith Turnecliff.