IC 1805 Heart Nebula
Author: Eduardo Saborido Fernández
Date: December 21 and 23, 2023
Location: Cangas do Morrazo, Pontevedra (Spain), Bortle 5
Telescope: TS Optics CF-APO 90
Integration time: 10h 30m
IC 1805 Heart Nebula
Author: Eduardo Saborido Fernández
Date: December 21 and 23, 2023
Location: Cangas do Morrazo, Pontevedra (Spain), Bortle 5
Telescope: TS Optics CF-APO 90
Integration time: 10h 30m
Distance from Earth: 7,500 light-years
Located in the constellation Cassiopeia, this is a vast star-forming region—300 light-years across—composed primarily of ionized hydrogen (which emits a characteristic red light) mixed with oxygen, sulfur, and cosmic dust. Within it lies the Melotte 15 cluster, formed by young (1.5 million years old) and massive stars whose radiation and winds sculpt the gas and dust into pillars and cavities, while simultaneously triggering the birth of new stars.