Las Vegas Astronomical Society Observer’s Challenge link: 

SEPTEMBER 2015 OBSERVERS CHALLENGE – NGC-7000-1

The following pencil sketch was made using a blank 5 x 8 notecard with a 10-inch Newtonian reflector telescope.  The observation, notes and sketch were made from my moderately light polluted backyard, located in the Foothills of North Carolina.    roger ivester

NGC 7000 “The North America Nebula” Cygnus
Date: September 17, 2015
Conditions: Fair seeing with a NELM of 5.0

Telescope: 10-inch f/4.5 Newtonian Reflector
Sketch: 36x with an O-III Filter
FOV: 1.8º

A dark sky is preferred for this very large emission nebula, however, I’ve observed the North American to a satisfactory level on many occasions from my moderately light polluted backyard using my 10-inch reflector. An O-lll filter is essential when observing this object.

Covering my head with a commercial black astro-cloth to shield ambient light from entering my eye, was very beneficial.  The difference was amazing, as the outline of the nebula became much sharper and brighter with the covering.  

The dark region known as “the Gulf of Mexico” is the most noticeable feature. At 36x and with a FOV of 1.8º, much of the North American shape was visible.

Open star cluster, NGC 6997, a sprinkling of faint stars is located in the “Ohio” region. If using an O-III or UHC filter while observing the North American Nebula, be sure to remove when observing this cluster.

IC 5070, “The Pelican Nebula” lies just to the west of NGC 7000. The Pelican was fairly easy to see, appearing as a large very faint diffuse region without any definitive shape.   Roger Ivester

The following wide field image by Dr. James Dire of Hawaii using a Canon 30D camera with a 100 mm f/2 lens.  Exposure 30 minutes piggyback on a telescope.     

This entry was posted on October 13, 2015 at 12:43 am and is filed under Work File Only - Observer's Challenge Reports. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. Both comments and pings are currently closed.