The Pelican nebula in monochrome

[wimvb]

IC 5070, or the Pelican Nebula, is part of the North America Nebula complex, which also includes ngc 7000 and ic 5068. This vast hydrogen cloud hosts several star forming regions. Iconic in the Pelican's neck is the Herbig-Haro object HH 555 which shows the telltale signs of a proto star, two jets of high velocity matter ejected from behind a dark filament.

The dark patches in this image are cooler clouds. Even in these clouds, stars form.

This image consists of 79 4 minutes exposures, with a total integration time of 5 hrs and 16 minutes. Data was collected during two nights under a near full moon. Gear used: SkyWatcher 190MN and ZWO ASI294MM camera with Baader 7 nm H-alpha filter

Processed in PixInsight.

I've had problems with PixInsight freezing on my Windows computer, so I installed Kubuntu as a dual boot system and processed this image with PI running under Kubuntu. That's a first for me. If further tests go well, I will make the switch permanent.

[geeklee]

Excellent @wimvb

I always look out for HH 555 in images of the Pelican, more so on longer focal length ones.

[gorann]

Great image, and yes HH555 is there - a clear sign of quality!