NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for September 7, 2026, featured the Pelican Nebula, officially designated IC 5070. According to the accompanying explanation, the nebula is separated from the larger North America Nebula by a molecular cloud filled with dark dust. The image, credited to Mark Killion and taken from Utah, USA, incorporates 25 hours of exposure and shows detailed filamentary dust.

The nebula is described as an active mix of star formation and evolving gas clouds. Light from young energetic stars is said to be slowly transforming cold gas into hot gas, with the boundary between them — known as an ionization front — visible in bright orange on the upper right. Particularly dense tentacles of cold gas remain.

The explanation noted that millions of years from now the nebula, bounded by dark nebula LDN 935, might no longer resemble a pelican, since the balance and placement of stars and gas will surely leave something that appears completely different. The page also stated that APOD's main site was moving from apod.nasa.gov to science.nasa.gov/apod.