The North America Nebula is an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, close to Deneb. The remarkable shape of the nebula resembles that of the continent of North America, complete with a prominent Gulf of Mexico. It is sometimes incorrectly called the “North American Nebula”.
This is probably one of the most iconic objects of the summer sky visible from the northern hemisphere. A vast majority of astrophotographers begins their cosmic adventure from aiming the telescope precisely towards this object. On dark nights with good clarity, you can see the subtleties of NGC 7000 with the naked eye. I love this photo for its menacing and dramatic line. It clearly illustrates the power of the processes taking place in the nebula.
I took the picture at my astronomical observatory near Warsaw (the capital city of Poland, EU).
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