Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 43
α
LACERTA
CYGNUS
M39
α
Deneb
7000
IC 5070
North
America
Nebula
γ
M29
Binocular Highlight by Mathew Wedel
Giant of the North
O
Zenith
Pelican
Nebula
ur target this month is the North America
Nebula (NGC 7000, Caldwell 20) in the constellation
Cygnus, the Swan. William Herschel first
recorded its pale glow in 1786, while his son, John,
cataloged it in 1829. It didn't get its familiar name
until 1903, when E. E. Barnard refined German astrophotographer
Max Wolf's original designation, the
" America Nebula, " to reflect more accurately the
object's resemblance to its namesake continent.
Photos of NGC 7000 go deeper than the binocular+20°
0°
η
-20°
boosted
eye, of course, but that adds to the challenge:
We know how much there is to be seen, and
it's fun to push ourselves to see as much as possible.
Located just 3° east of Deneb, or Alpha (α) Cygni,
it's an easy catch at 4th magnitude even with 7×35
binos (despite its low surface brightness). But drawing
out its true " North-America-ness " generally requires
more aperture. In particular, I need at least 15×70s
to catch the portion of the nebula that corresponds
to Florida. Equally challenging is the Pelican Nebula
(IC 5070), which rears from the dark Atlantic like a lost
continent. Their appearance as distinct objects is an
illusion - the North America and Pelican nebulae are
just the visible parts of a single, vast hydrogen cloud,
only separated from our point of view by a dark lane
of dust in the foreground (designated LDN 935).
Historical distance estimates for NGC 7000 ranged
WHEN TO
USE THE MAP
Late June 1 a.m.*
Early July Midnight*
Late July
11 p.m.*
8h
g Sou
Early Aug 10 p.m.*
Late Aug Nightfall
*Daylight-saving time
from 1,500 to 3,000 light-years. In 2020, the European
Space Agency's Gaia spacecraft measured the distances
to 395 stars embedded in the nebula, yielding
an average of 2,590 light-years. This places it about
twice as far away as M42, the Great Nebula in Orion,
and makes it much, much larger. How much of this
vast, remote giant will you capture?
¢ No matter which binos he's using, MATT WEDEL
enjoys pushing them to see as much as he can.
sk yand tele scope .o r g * AUGUST 2023 43
5
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S E R P E N S
( C A P U T )
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Moon
Aug 20
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Thuban
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Aug 23
L U P U S
L I B R A
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COMA
BERENICES
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B i g
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ψ
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M82
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http://skyandtelescope.org
Sky & Telescope - August 2023
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky & Telescope - August 2023
Contents
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - Cover1
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - Cover2
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 1
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - Contents
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 3
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 4
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 5
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 6
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 7
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 8
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 9
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 10
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 11
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 12
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 13
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 14
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 15
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 16
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 17
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 18
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 19
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 20
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 21
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 22
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 23
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 24
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 25
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 26
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 27
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 28
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 29
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 30
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 31
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 32
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 33
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 34
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 35
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 36
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 37
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 38
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 39
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 40
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 41
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 42
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 43
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 44
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 45
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 46
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 47
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 48
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 49
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 50
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 51
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Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 53
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 54
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 55
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 56
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 57
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 58
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 59
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 60
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 61
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 62
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 63
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 64
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 65
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 66
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 67
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 68
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 69
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 70
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 71
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 72
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 73
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 74
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 75
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 76
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 77
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 78
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 79
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 80
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 81
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 82
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 83
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - 84
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - Cover3
Sky & Telescope - August 2023 - Cover4
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