RigTonightHow to photograph the North America and Pelican nebulae (NGC 7000)
The North America Nebula is a huge cloud of glowing hydrogen in Cygnus, shaped uncannily like the continent, complete with a "Gulf of Mexico" made of dark dust. Next to it, separated by that dark lane, is the Pelican Nebula. Together they make one of the best summer targets for small refractors and camera lenses, and they're among the most rewarding targets you can shoot from a light-polluted garden.
When and where
- Position: RA 20h 59m, Dec +44° 20′, about 3° east of Deneb, the brightest star in Cygnus.
- Season: best from June to October in the northern hemisphere, high overhead in the late evening in August and September.
- Height: very high from mid-northern latitudes, so it's above most of the haze and light pollution. From the southern hemisphere it stays low.
Framing
The North America Nebula spans about 120′ × 100′, and the Pelican (IC 5070) adds about another degree to the west.
| Focal length (APS-C sensor) | What you get |
|---|---|
| 135 mm | Both nebulae and Deneb in a rich Milky Way field |
| 200–300 mm | North America and the Pelican together, filling the frame |
| 400–600 mm | North America alone, or the Pelican alone |
| 800 mm and up | The Cygnus Wall, the bright ridge along the "Mexico" coast |
Filters: this is where narrowband shines
The nebula glows mostly in hydrogen-alpha (Hα) light, deep red at 656 nm, with some oxygen III (OIII) along its edges. Because the light comes in narrow emission lines, filters that pass only those lines work wonders:
- Dual-band filter on a colour camera (such as the Optolong L-eXtreme): cuts light pollution and moonlight while keeping the nebula's light. The easiest big upgrade for this target.
- Mono narrowband: Hα alone makes a dramatic black-and-white image. Add OIII and SII for the "Hubble palette" look.
- Broadband: works from a dark site, with natural colour and a dense star field, but suffers more from light pollution.
Hα works well through moonlit nights, so the North America Nebula is a good target for the bright half of the month. See Dual-band vs narrowband filters.
Exposure
- Narrowband and dual-band filters pass far less light, so use longer subs: 180–300 seconds with a cooled camera.
- Broadband: 60–180 seconds, depending on your sky.
- Aim for 3 hours or more; the faint outer nebulosity and the dark dust lanes keep improving with time.
Example rigs
Check how many dark hours NGC 7000 gets from your site tonight, and how the moon affects it with your filters, on RigTonight's Tonight tab.