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Credit & Copyright: Terry Hancock
Explanation:
Sprawling across almost 200 light-years,
emission
nebula IC 1805
is a mix of glowing interstellar gas and dark dust clouds.
Derived from its
Valentine's-Day-approved shape,
its nickname is the Heart Nebula.
About 7,500 light-years away in the
Perseus spiral arm of
our galaxy, stars were born in IC 1805.
In fact, near the
cosmic heart's center are the
massive hot stars of a newborn star cluster
also known as Melotte 15,
about 1.5 million years young.
A little ironically, the
Heart Nebula is located in the constellation of the
mythical Queen of
Aethiopia
(Cassiopeia).
This deep view of the region around the
Heart Nebula spans about
two degrees on
the sky or about four times the diameter of the Full Moon.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Heart Nebula - interstellar dust
Publications with words: Heart Nebula - interstellar dust
See also: