The Heart and Soul
Nebulas
From NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the
Day
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 photo below 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 focused
on how massive stars form
and how they affect their environment.
Image Credit & Copyright: Leonardo Orazi