Explanation:
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
Cassiopeia.
From Greek mythology, the northern constellation
is
named for a vain and boastful queen.
This deep view
of the region around the Heart Nebula, cropped
from a larger mosaic, spans about
2.5 degrees on
the sky or about 5 times the diameter of the Full Moon.
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