It was not until recently I felt uninspired. After shooting the Veil Nebula (again), I felt a bit of repetitive. Don’t get me wrong, I love Cygnus, but I was overstaying my welcome there. I had shot the Veil (twice), North American Nebula (twice), Sadr Region, and Cresecent Nebula. There was one nebula I neglected–The Pelican Nebula or IC 5070. Many photographers photograph the North American Nebula alongside the Pelican Nebula, but they frequently overlook the Pelican Nebula as a subject to do on its own.
Looking at Astrobin for some inspiration, I looked at photos from photographers who used an Astro-Tech AT115EDT (like me) to see what they’ve done with the Pelican Nebula. On Astrobin, there were several amazing photos and not just from my telescope. I particularly loved the photos with the blue and orange color pallette, which differs from many other nebula photographs that are commonly red and blue, with red being the primary color. This contained no red or Ha color, which was different and impressive. I also love the shape of the “pelican” if you can make it out. Look closely–there is an eye and a beak that particularly makes the shape of this nebula.
Besides the amazing colors, there are deep dark structures within IC 5070. I’m also blown away by the feel of the gas’s transparency, particularly on the right side of the photo. I get concerned about over-sharpening the photo as I don’t want to lose that transparent smokey gas look (hard to explain). It feels more alive; sharper is not always better.