Pelican Nebula Ionization Front
The Pelican Nebula is slowly being transformed.
IC 5070, the official designation, is divided from the larger
North America Nebula by a
molecular cloud filled with dark
dust.
The
Pelican, however, receives much study because it
is a particularly active mix of
star formation and
evolving gas clouds.
The
above picture was produced in two specific colors
to better understand these interactions.
Here, hot
hydrogen
gas glows in red, while cooler
Sulfur glows blue-green.
The light from young energetic stars is slowly
transforming the cold gas to hot gas,
with the advancing boundary
between the two known as an
ionization front.
Particularly dense filaments of cold gas are seen to still remain.
Millions of years from now this nebula might no longer
be known as the
Pelican,
as the balance and placement of stars and gas
will leave something that appears completely different.