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Credit & Copyright: David Lindemann
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 featured
image 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 here 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.
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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: