The Pelican Nebula (IC 5070) is a large area of emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, close to Deneb, and separated by a molecular cloud filled with dark dust from its brighter, larger neighbor, the North America Nebula.
The Pelican is much studied because it has a highly active mix of star formation and evolving gas clouds. The light from young energetic stars is slowly heating cold gas and causing an ionization front to gradually advance outward. Particularly dense filaments of cold gas are seen to still remain.
Millions of years from now this nebula might no longer be known as the Pelican, as the balance and placement of stars and gas will leave something that appears completely different.
I took the picture in my astronomical observatory near Warsaw (the capital city of Poland, EU). Artist: Adam Jesionkiewicz
