Tuesday, September 17, 2024

APOD - Melotte 15 in the Heart Nebula

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.

2024 September 17
A starfield is shown with a a bright orange nebula  in the center. The nebula is filamentary and takes up much  of the bottom and middle of the frame. The top is most dark  with some bright stars.  Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

Melotte 15 in the Heart Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Richard McInnis

Explanation: Cosmic clouds form fantastic shapes in the central regions of emission nebula IC 1805. The clouds are sculpted by stellar winds and radiation from massive hot stars in the nebula's newborn star cluster, Melotte 15. About 1.5 million years young, the cluster stars are scattered in this colorful skyscape, along with dark dust clouds in silhouette against glowing atomic gas. A composite of narrowband and broadband telescopic images, the view spans about 15 light-years and includes emission from ionized hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen atoms mapped to green, red, and blue hues in the popular Hubble Palette. Wider field images reveal that IC 1805's simpler, overall outline suggests its popular name - the Heart Nebula. IC 1805 is located about 7,500 light years away toward the boastful constellation Cassiopeia.

Tomorrow's picture: supernova surfer


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