Sky Today names the North America Nebula as Friday’s observing target

The Sky Today column from Astronomy Magazine has chosen NGC 7000, the North America Nebula, as the observing target for Friday evening, Nov. 6, 2026. Alison Klesman is senior editor of Astronomy magazine and holds a Ph.D. in astronomy; her research spans minor planets to supermassive black holes. The item appears in the magazine’s Sky This Week coverage.

Astronomy Magazine says the Summer Triangle begins setting in the west by 6 P.M. local time on Nov. 6, 2026, as fall progresses. The source describes fall as the season when summer stars appear less often, and notes that the triangle flies high overhead during short summer nights before descending. Astronomy Magazine puts it this way: “By 6 P.M. local time, the Summer Triangle – which flies high overhead on short summer nights – is now starting to set in the west.”

Vega in Lyra is the lowest point of the Summer Triangle. Altair in Aquila lies to Vega’s upper left, while Deneb in Cygnus stands highest, almost directly above Vega. These three stars mark the corners of the Summer Triangle asterism that dominates summer skies and is now descending in the west on the November evening.

Deneb in Cygnus can serve as a locator for NGC 7000 on the evening of Nov. 6, 2026, since no Moon appears in the sky that night. The dark, moonless evening provides the observing conditions needed to use Deneb as a signpost for the emission nebula. An emission nebula is a cloud of gas that glows.

The nebula sits just 3 degrees east of Deneb, which places it inside a small telescope eyepiece with little effort. The nebula’s proximity to a bright star simplifies pointing a small telescope toward the target. A small eyepiece frames a narrow patch of sky, so the short distance between Deneb and the nebula means both fit inside that narrow view.

The North America Nebula covers about 2 degrees of sky, so a larger field of view is needed to take in the full object. Because the object spans a wide area of sky, observers need low power or a wide-field eyepiece to see it fully. A wide field captures more sky than a narrow high-power view, allowing the whole cloud to fit in the frame at once.

If the observer has a nebula filter, it will improve the view of NGC 7000. The source suggests the filter as an optional accessory that enhances the emission nebula’s visibility. A nebula filter passes the specific wavelengths emitted by the glowing gas while blocking other light.

On its western side, the North America Nebula looks like the eastern coast of North America, with the Gulf of Mexico curve standing out. The source compares the nebula’s outline to the shape of North America, with the Gulf of Mexico curve serving as an entry point for visual identification. That coastline shape gives the observer a familiar pattern to look for once Deneb has centered the field.

A fainter compact patch called IC 5067/5070, or the Pelican Nebula, lies west of NGC 7000 across a dark gap. The source presents the Pelican Nebula as a nearby, fainter target separated from the North America Nebula by a dark region of sky. The dark gap between the two glowing patches lets observers tell them apart in a single wide-field view.

On Nov. 6, 2026, the Sun sets at 4:52 P.M. local time from 40 degrees North, 90 degrees West. Sunset defines when the sky becomes dark enough for evening observing on this date. Sunrise comes at 6:35 A.M. local time from those same coordinates. The timing data apply to that specific observing location at 40 degrees North latitude and 90 degrees West longitude.

Moonset happens at 3:16 P.M. local time on Nov. 6, 2026, from 40 degrees North, 90 degrees West, and the Moon rises at 3:56 A.M. local time on Nov. 6, 2026, from 40 degrees North, 90 degrees West. The Moon rises well after midnight, so it does not interfere with evening observations. The Moon sets in the afternoon, ensuring it is absent from the night sky during the observing window.

The Moon shows 5 percent illumination as a waning crescent at 10 P.M. local time on Nov. 6, 2026, from 40 degrees North, 90 degrees West. The source gives the Moon’s phase and illumination level for 10 P.M. local time from the same reference location. A waning crescent is a thin, partly lit sliver of the Moon that adds little light to the sky.