The Pelican Nebula or IC 5067 is an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, located near Deneb , and separated from the larger ngC 7000 nebula by a dark region. The dark area is called the Gulf of Mexico, because in some astronomical plates many years ago it resembled that region of the Earth. Both nebulae, IC 5070 and NGC 7000, are part of the same H II region. Inside the Pelican Nebula, clouds of dark dust also help define the eye and long beak, while a bright ionized gas front suggests the silhouette of the head and neck. The nebula in what would physically be the back of the neck is what was really called IC 5070 but is better known as "The Cogote".
This nebula has been highly studied because it mixes stellar formation and developing gas clouds. The light of young stars slowly heats the cold gas producing an ionization front that moves outwards. Particularly dense areas of cold gas are still visible with relatively modest telescopes and even binoculars but it takes a light-pollution-free sky to appreciate its extensive contours.