This wide-field image captures the magnificent Heart Nebula (IC 1805) in the constellation Cassiopeia, showcasing the intricate beauty of this iconic star-forming region located approximately 7,500 light-years from Earth.
The image reveals the nebula's characteristic heart-like shape formed by glowing emission nebulae and dark dust lanes. The intense blue-white cores represent young, hot O-type stars of the open cluster Melotte 15, whose powerful stellar winds and radiation sculpt the surrounding hydrogen gas into dramatic pillars and cavities. The vibrant red-orange hues trace ionized hydrogen (H-alpha) emission, while the cooler blue tones highlight reflected starlight and oxygen emissions.
Total integration: 4h 10m
Integration per filter:
– Multiband: 4h 10m (25 × 600")
Equipment:
– Telescope: Askar SQA55
– Camera: Tecnosky Vision 571C
– Mount: ZWO AM3
– Filter: Altair Ha+OIII ULTRA DualBand 6nm CERTIFIED CMOS 2"
– Software: Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight, Stefan Berg Nighttime Imaging 'N' Astronomy (N.I.N.A. / NINA), Steffen Hirtle GraXpert
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by Astro_edo