Heart Nebula
About this image
IC 1805 is an emission nebula located approximately 7,500 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia. It stretches across nearly 200 light-years and forms part of a much larger complex of gas and dust that also includes the nearby Soul Nebula.
At the centre of the nebula is the young open star cluster Melotte 15. The cluster contains several hot, massive stars whose intense ultraviolet radiation causes the surrounding hydrogen gas to glow. Powerful stellar winds from these stars are also shaping the gas, creating the cavities, ridges and intricate structures visible throughout the nebula.
The Heart Nebula is one of the most recognisable objects in the northern sky, but its faint outer regions make it a challenging target from a light-polluted location. With enough exposure time, suitable filtration and careful processing, it becomes an incredibly detailed and rewarding object to image.
Annotated image
Image details
| Object type | cluster associated with nebulosity |
|---|---|
| Catalogue | IC 1805, IC 1805 – SH 2-190 – LBN 654 – CR 26 – MEL 15 – CED 7 |
| Constellation | Cassiopeia (Cas) |
| Observed | 2025 Dec 19 – 23:00 UTC |
| Location | Portsmouth, UK |
| Moon | New Moon – 0% illuminated – age 29.4 days |
| WordPress categories | Nebula |
Equipment
| Telescope | William Optics RedCat 51 |
|---|---|
| Camera | ZWO ASI2600MC Pro |
| Mount | AZ/GTI |
| Filter | Optolong L-eNhance |
| Focal length | 250mm |
| F-ratio | f/4.9 |
| Pixel scale | 3.1 arcsec/pixel |
Acquisition
| Exposure | 54 x 180s |
|---|---|
| Gain | 100 |
| Guiding RMS | <1.5 |
Observation notes
Managed to get a break in the clouds until 2300. Only 2.5 hours, turned out better than expected.
Processing notes
The data was calibrated, registered and stacked in Astro Pixel Processor (APP) before being processed in PixInsight.
Posted from CityAstroLog.