Friday, Sep 5, 2025

Sh2-119 (Clamshell Nebula) sits in Cygnus, just a short hop from the North America Nebula (NGC 7000). It is located around 2.300 ly from Earth. Anchoring the field is 68 Cygni, a hot, massive O-type giant (about mag 5) — currently classified as a rotating ellipsoidal variable with an approximate mass of 26 solar masses and a temperature of approximately 34,000 kelvins.  The star’s intense UV light and strong stellar wind ionize and shape the surrounding gas, which can be captured with moderate exposure times with S, H and O filters.