The North America Nebula (NGC 7000) is part of a huge
cloud of ionized hydrogen in the constellation Cygnus.
Just off the "east coast", you can see a smaller portion
of this cloud, often called the "Pelican Nebula" (IC 5070),
though it has always looked more like a pterodactyl to me.
They are actually part of the same nebula, but are separated
by a dark swath of non-glowing gas and dust. This region is
about 1600 light years from earth.


Image data:
Camera: Canon 350 XT (modified)
Exposure: ISO 800, 5 minutes x 24
Telescope: William Optics ZS 66mm, 0.8x reducer / field flattener