North America nebula detail: The Cygnus wall
This is part of my new strategy for discovering objects to aim my telescope at: take a picture at 200mm of a known object and then pick regions of it that look like they would be interesting at 840mm. Simple and fun.
"The Cygnus Wall is a prominent region within the North America Nebula (NGC 7000), located in the constellation Cygnus, about 2,590 light-years away from Earth. This region represents one of the most striking parts of the nebula due to its structure and active star formation. Here's an overview of its features:
1. Structure and Appearance
The Cygnus Wall is a dense, dark cloud of gas and dust, shaped like a long, curved structure. It visually resembles the "Mexico" and "Central America" portions of the North America Nebula's shape, hence its association with that region.
The "wall" is illuminated by ultraviolet light from nearby hot stars, causing parts of the gas to glow brightly, creating high contrast between dark and bright regions. This gives it a textured and intricate appearance in astrophotographs.
2. Star Formation
The Cygnus Wall is an active star-forming region. Inside this dense region, the gravitational collapse of gas clouds leads to the birth of new stars, many of which are obscured by thick clouds of dust.
The intense radiation from newly formed stars is carving out cavities in the nebula, heating and ionizing the surrounding gas, contributing to the glowing, colorful emission seen in images of the area.
3. Composition
Like much of the North America Nebula, the Cygnus Wall is primarily composed of ionized hydrogen (HII regions), but it also contains significant amounts of molecular gas, dust, and other elements like helium and oxygen. This rich composition is key to both the star-forming activity and the vibrant emissions that make it visually striking.
Dark lanes of interstellar dust run through the region, absorbing and blocking light, which enhances the visibility of the surrounding emission nebula.
4. Ionization and Illumination
The gas within the Cygnus Wall is ionized by the intense radiation from nearby young, hot, massive stars. These stars, likely from the same region but not directly visible due to the dust, flood the area with ultraviolet light, which excites the gas and makes it glow.
This region glows primarily in hydrogen-alpha (Hα) light, giving it a characteristic reddish hue in many astrophotographs, though it can also display other colors depending on the filters used.
5. Observation and Astrophotography
The Cygnus Wall is a favorite target for astrophotographers, especially those using narrowband filters, which can capture the detailed, high-contrast structure of the region.
With amateur telescopes, the nebula can be observed, but its intricate details, such as the dark dust lanes and bright emission areas, are best seen in long-exposure photographs.
6. Location in the Sky
The North America Nebula, including the Cygnus Wall, is part of the larger Cygnus molecular cloud complex, a star-forming region in the Milky Way.
It's located near the bright star Deneb, one of the vertices of the Summer Triangle, making it a popular target for northern hemisphere observers during summer and autumn." --synthesized from various sources
Askar 120APO: 840mm f/7
ZWO ASI533MM Mono Camera at -10C
Guided on ZWO AM5
8xHa, 14xOiii, 10xSii @10m
Processed with PixInsight, Ps
North America nebula detail: The Cygnus wall
This is part of my new strategy for discovering objects to aim my telescope at: take a picture at 200mm of a known object and then pick regions of it that look like they would be interesting at 840mm. Simple and fun.
"The Cygnus Wall is a prominent region within the North America Nebula (NGC 7000), located in the constellation Cygnus, about 2,590 light-years away from Earth. This region represents one of the most striking parts of the nebula due to its structure and active star formation. Here's an overview of its features:
1. Structure and Appearance
The Cygnus Wall is a dense, dark cloud of gas and dust, shaped like a long, curved structure. It visually resembles the "Mexico" and "Central America" portions of the North America Nebula's shape, hence its association with that region.
The "wall" is illuminated by ultraviolet light from nearby hot stars, causing parts of the gas to glow brightly, creating high contrast between dark and bright regions. This gives it a textured and intricate appearance in astrophotographs.
2. Star Formation
The Cygnus Wall is an active star-forming region. Inside this dense region, the gravitational collapse of gas clouds leads to the birth of new stars, many of which are obscured by thick clouds of dust.
The intense radiation from newly formed stars is carving out cavities in the nebula, heating and ionizing the surrounding gas, contributing to the glowing, colorful emission seen in images of the area.
3. Composition
Like much of the North America Nebula, the Cygnus Wall is primarily composed of ionized hydrogen (HII regions), but it also contains significant amounts of molecular gas, dust, and other elements like helium and oxygen. This rich composition is key to both the star-forming activity and the vibrant emissions that make it visually striking.
Dark lanes of interstellar dust run through the region, absorbing and blocking light, which enhances the visibility of the surrounding emission nebula.
4. Ionization and Illumination
The gas within the Cygnus Wall is ionized by the intense radiation from nearby young, hot, massive stars. These stars, likely from the same region but not directly visible due to the dust, flood the area with ultraviolet light, which excites the gas and makes it glow.
This region glows primarily in hydrogen-alpha (Hα) light, giving it a characteristic reddish hue in many astrophotographs, though it can also display other colors depending on the filters used.
5. Observation and Astrophotography
The Cygnus Wall is a favorite target for astrophotographers, especially those using narrowband filters, which can capture the detailed, high-contrast structure of the region.
With amateur telescopes, the nebula can be observed, but its intricate details, such as the dark dust lanes and bright emission areas, are best seen in long-exposure photographs.
6. Location in the Sky
The North America Nebula, including the Cygnus Wall, is part of the larger Cygnus molecular cloud complex, a star-forming region in the Milky Way.
It's located near the bright star Deneb, one of the vertices of the Summer Triangle, making it a popular target for northern hemisphere observers during summer and autumn." --synthesized from various sources
Askar 120APO: 840mm f/7
ZWO ASI533MM Mono Camera at -10C
Guided on ZWO AM5
8xHa, 14xOiii, 10xSii @10m
Processed with PixInsight, Ps