Pelican Nebula
| Polish version is here |
The Pelican Nebula, also known as IC 5070 and IC 5067, is an H II region and emission nebula located in the constellation Cygnus. Spanning about 30 light-years across, it is approximately 2,000 light-years from Earth and is notable for its active star-forming regions. Its shape resembles a pelican, and the nebula lies in a vast area of emission nebulosity within Cygnus, near the star Deneb. In Photo 1, I have indicated where to find this object in relation to the entire constellation.
The Pelican Nebula was discovered by Max Wolf from a photograph taken on June 1, 1891. Thomas Espin independently discovered it eight years later.
Observations
May 3, 2024, around 11:30 PM – Katowice (Poland)
urban environment, extremely high level of light pollution
After nightfall, the sky began to fill with dense clouds, effectively preventing any observations. I was about to give up hope when, around 10:30 PM, the clouds started to dissipate. As increasingly larger patches of clear sky appeared, my optimism returned. Before long, the sky became completely clear. I quickly set up my telescope and aimed it at the objects of interest. Although the early part of the evening did not look promising, I was ultimately able to carry out my observing plans. This night reminded me yet again how unpredictable the weather can be, but also how rewarding nighttime observations can be—even under urban skies. One of the photographic outcomes from that night is shown below, in Photo 2.
The nebula owes its distinctive, bird-like shape—with a long beak and outstretched wings—to dark lanes of dust that contrast against brighter areas illuminated by young, hot stars.
Because the Pelican Nebula is a relatively dynamic object, it will lose its present shape in the not-too-distant future—in astronomical terms—within only a few million years, as the distribution of stars and gas changes significantly.
Photo 1 Parameters:
- Total exposure time: 5 minutes (stack of 15 RAW frames at 20s each, using an appropriate number of dark, bias, and flat frames)
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro + DeepSkyCamera (beta)
- ISO: 800
- Mount: photographic tripod
Photo 2 Parameters:
- Total exposure time: 25 minutes (stack of 50 RAW frames at 30s each, using an appropriate number of dark, bias, and flat frames)
- Canon EOS 60D
- ISO: 1500
- Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope (100/1400), prime focus exposure
- A filter was used to reduce the effects of artificial light pollution and atmospheric glow
- Mount: equatorial mount with tracking, aligned using the drift method and controlled by a custom-built system.
Further readings:
- Substyk M., Atlas nieba 2000.0, AstroCD, 2021, str. 22
- Seligman C., IC 5070, w: Celestial Atlas [dostęp 14.06.2024]
- Złoczewski K., Kosmos. Przewodnik obserwatora, Amermedia Sp. z o.o., 2013, str. 20-23
Marek Ples