IC 5070 and IC 5076 make up the Pelican Nebula in Cygnus.

The Pelican is located 1,500 light-years away and is part of a large molecular cloud made of dust and hydrogen gas that also contains NGC 7000, the North America Nebula.

This rich region of emission nebulae and dark nebulae just east of Deneb is an active area of star formation powered by the light from young energetic stars. The complex form of the nebula is created by shock waves from the outflows of newly formed stars and intense ultraviolet radiation. This radiation erodes the molecular cloud, but some parts survive and are visible in the form of the "elephant trunks" - long columns or pillars of gas and dust out of which stars are forming.

At the top center of the image, in the brightest portion of the nebula, lies one of these elephant trunks. At its tip is Herbig-Haro 555, which has ejected a bipolar jet of material indicating the presence of a hidden protostar.

Although the Pelican Nebula has a listed visual magnitude of 8.0, it is much fainter than that would indicate as its light is spread out over a large area of 60 x 50 arcminutes.

The two brightest stars in the frame are 56 and 57 Cygni. 56 Cygni, at lower right shining at magnitude 5.0, is located 136 light-years away. 57 Cygni, at upper left, shines at magnitude 4.7 and is located 500 light-years away. These two stars are actually in the foreground, lying well in front of the nebula.

North is to the top in the above image.

IC 5070, IC 5076 Catalogs: IC 5070, IC 5076 Common Name: Pelican Nebula Object Type: Emission Nebulae Magnitude: 8b Size: 60' x 50' Constellation: Cygnus Image Field Centered At: RA: 20h 51m 27s Dec: +44° 22' 24"