Credit & Copyright: William Ostling,
Telescope Live
Explanation:
What excites the Heart Nebula?
First, the large emission nebula
on the left, catalogued as
IC 1805, looks somewhat like a human heart.
The nebula glows brightly in red light
emitted by its
most
prominent element,
hydrogen,
but this long-exposure image was also blended with light
emitted by silicon (yellow) and oxygen (blue).
In the center of the
Heart Nebula are young stars from the open star cluster
Melotte 15
that are eroding away several picturesque
dust pillars with their atom-exciting
energetic light and winds.
The Heart Nebula is located about 7,500 light years away toward the
constellation
of Cassiopeia.
At the bottom right of the Heart Nebula is the companion
Fishhead Nebula.
This wide and deep image clearly shows, though,
that glowing gas surrounds the Heart Nebula in all directions.
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Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Heart Nebula - emission nebula
Publications with words: Heart Nebula - emission nebula
See also: