Stars, Dust, Pillars, and Jets in the Pelican Nebula

Explanation: What dark structures arise within the Pelican Nebula? On the whole, the nebula appears like a bird ( a pelican ) and is seen toward the constellation of a different bird: Cygnus , a Swan. But inside, the Pelican Nebula is a place lit up by new stars and befouled by dark dust. Smoke-sized dust grain s start as simple carbon compounds formed in the cool atmospheres of young stars but are dispersed by stellar winds and explosions . Two impressive Herbig-Haro jets are seen emitted by the star HH 555 on the right, and these jets are helping to destroy the light year -long dust pillar that contains it. Other pillars and jets are also visible. The featured image was scientifically-colored to emphasize light emitted by small amounts of heavy elements in a nebula made predominantly of the light elements hydrogen and helium . The Pelican Nebula (IC 5067 and IC 5070) is about 2,000 light-years away and can be found with a small telescope to the northeast of the bright star Deneb .

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