What to photograph in August

The North America Nebula in Cygnus looks like the continent, with a dark lane for the Gulf of Mexico.

M39 is a large, sparse open cluster in Cygnus, roughly triangular, with bright stars spread widely.

M15 is one of the densest globular clusters known.

M2 is one of the larger and richer globular clusters, a ball of well over a hundred thousand stars in Aquarius.

The Dumbbell Nebula is a large, bright planetary nebula in the small constellation Vulpecula, the shell of gas thrown off by a dying star.

IC 1396 is a very large emission nebula in Cepheus surrounding a hot, bright star.

The Witch's Broom is the western arm of the Veil Nebula, the remains of a star that exploded in Cygnus roughly 10,000 to 20,000 years ago.

The Eastern Veil Nebula is a bright arc of the Cygnus Loop, the expanding shell of a star that exploded thousands of years ago.

The Pelican Nebula is a large emission nebula in Cygnus, separated from the North America Nebula by a band of dark dust.

The Crescent Nebula is a shell of glowing gas in Cygnus, blown out by the fierce wind of a Wolf-Rayet star.

The Iris Nebula is a blue reflection nebula in Cepheus, lit by a bright young star.

The Bubble Nebula in Cassiopeia is a bubble of gas blown by the strong wind of a hot young star.

M52 is a fairly rich open cluster in Cassiopeia, a modest sight on its own but conveniently located about half a degree from the Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635), so the two make a natural pair.

The Cocoon Nebula is a small, round blend of emission and reflection nebula in Cygnus, at the head of a long dark dust lane called Barnard 168.

M71 is a small, loose globular cluster in Sagitta, so open in structure that for a long time it was debated whether it was a globular or a dense open cluster.

M29, the Cooling Tower Cluster, is a small open cluster in Cygnus, a few degrees from Sadr (Gamma Cygni).

The Wizard Nebula is a faint emission nebula in Cepheus surrounding a young open cluster, with dark lanes giving it a wizard-like shape.

The Fireworks Galaxy is a face-on spiral on the border of Cepheus and Cygnus that has hosted around ten recorded supernovae.

M72 is a faint, distant globular cluster in Aquarius.