IC 1805: The Heart
Nebula
From NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
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.
Image Credit & Copyright: Terry Hancock
