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APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
The Heart and Soul Nebulas
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 above 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.
| Date | October 22, 2003 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Credit & Copyright: Richard Powell , Digitized Sky Survey , Palomar Observatory , STScI |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |