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Credit & Copyright: Davide De Martin (Skyfactory)
Explanation:
Is the heart and soul of our Galaxy located in
Cassiopeia?
Possibly not, but that is where two bright
emission nebulas
nicknamed Heart and Soul can be found.
The Heart Nebula, officially dubbed
IC 1805 and
visible in the above
zoomable view on the right, has a shape reminiscent of a classical
heart symbol.
Both nebulas shine brightly in the red light of
energized
hydrogen.
Several young open clusters of stars populate the image and are
visible above
in blue, including the nebula centers.
Light takes about 6,000 years to reach us from these nebulas,
which together span roughly 300
light years.
Studies of stars and clusters like those found in the
Heart and
Soul Nebulas
have focussed on how massive stars
form and how they affect their environment.
Note: Free
Astronomy Course Taught Online by an APOD Editor
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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
Publications with words: Heart Nebula
See also: