The Cygnus Wall of Star
Formation
The North America nebula on the sky can do what the North America continent on Earth cannot -- form stars.
Specifically, in analogy
to the Earth-confined continent, the bright part that appears as Central America and Mexico is actually a hot bed of gas, dust, and newly formed stars
known as the Cygnus Wall.
The image below shows the star
forming wall lit and eroded by bright young stars, and partly hidden by the dark dust they have created. The part of the North America nebula (NGC 7000) shown spans about 15 light years and lies about 1,500 light years away
toward the constellation of the Swan (Cygnus).
