Heart Nebula
| Emission nebula | |
|---|---|
| H II region | |
 The Heart Nebula captured using an H-alpha filter. | |
| Observation data: J2000.0 epoch | |
| Right ascension | 02h 33m 22s |
| Declination | +61° 26′ 36″ |
| Distance | 7,500 ly |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 18.3 |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 150' x 150' |
| Constellation | Cassiopeia |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Radius | 165 ly |
| Absolute magnitude (V) | 6.5 |
| Designations | NGC 896, IC1805, Sh2-190 |
The Heart Nebula, IC 1805, Sharpless 2-190, lies some 7500 light years away from Earth and is located in the Perseus Arm of the Galaxy in the constellation Cassiopeia. It was discovered by William Herschel on 3 November 1787.[1] It is an emission nebula showing glowing ionized hydrogen gas and darker dust lanes.[2]
The brightest part of the nebula (a knot at its western edge) is separately classified as NGC 896, because it was the first part of the nebula to be discovered. The nebula's intense red output and its morphology are driven by the radiation emanating from a small group of stars near the nebula's center. This open cluster of stars, known as Collinder 26 or Melotte 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.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b "New General Catalog Objects: NGC 850 - 899". cseligman.com. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
- ^ "astronomy-mall.com/Adventures.In.Deep.Space/NGC%201-7840%20complete.htm". astronomy-mall.
External links
- Heart Nebula at Atlas of the Universe
- NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day: Heart Nebula (14 February 2009)
