NGC 6997 Open Cluster in the North America Nebula
Friday, May 22nd, 2026 at 7:20:09 PM · 2026/Astrophotography
This stunning narrowband astrophotograph captures NGC 6997, an open star cluster embedded within the dramatic emission nebulosity of the North America Nebula (NGC 7000) region in Cygnus. The image was taken using the Hubble SHO palette (Sulfur-II mapped to red, Hydrogen-alpha to green, Oxygen-III to blue), producing the vivid orange, teal, and gold hues that reveal distinct ionized gas structures across the field. Dark nebula lanes cut dramatically through the glowing emission clouds, creating deep rifts and sculpted pillars of dust silhouetted against the luminous background. The field of view spans approximately 92.6x92.6 arcminutes, captured with a TMB-92 APO refractor at f/4.6 and a ZWO ASI533MM Pro monochrome camera with 2.1 hours of total integration across seven filter types. Processing with Python and Syqon Starless AI star removal highlights the intricate nebular structure while preserving the rich stellar field of the embedded cluster.
Chronologically Adjacent
