- Heart Nebula
Diffuse nebula
caption = The Heart Nebula --Courtesy Hunter Wilson
name = Heart Nebula
type = Emission
epoch = J2000.0
ra = RA|02|32|35.57
dec = DEC|+61|29|2.3
dist_ly = 7,500 ly
appmag_v = 18.3
size_v = 60.0'x60.0'
constellation = Cassiopeia
radius_ly = -
absmag_v = 6.5| notes = -
names =IC1805 The Heart Nebula, IC 1805, lies some 7500
light years away fromEarth and is located in thePerseus arm of theGalaxy in the constellation Cassiopeia. This is anemission nebula showing glowing gas and darker dust lanes. The nebula is formed byplasma of ionizedhydrogen and freeelectrons .The very brightest part of this nebula (the knot at the right) is separately classified as
NGC 896 , because it was the first part of this nebula to be discovered.The nebula's intense
red output and its configuration are driven by the radiation emanating from a small group of stars near the nebula's center. Thisopen cluster of stars known asMelotte 15 contains a few bright stars nearly 50 times the mass of our Sun, and many more dim stars that are only a fraction of our Sun's mass. The cluster used to contain a microquasar that was expelled millions of years ago.External links
* [http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/nebulae/ic1805.html Heart Nebula] at Atlas of the Universe
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