The Heart Nebula, or IC1805, is a star forming region in the constellation Cassiopeia which is rich in Hydrogen, Oxygen and Sulfur gases. Interestingly, it is very close to another stunning nebula which I featured on this website, the Soul Nebula. In this rendition of the region, Sulfur, Hydrogen and Oxygen was mapped to RGB to create a classicl Hubble palette color scheme.
This was yet again a full moon project from November 2024. Meaning I wanted to shoot something bright in emission gases while the moon was high up and light polluting the sky. It was not the first time that I shot this area of the sky. In fact, this nebula was the second image that I imaged with a monochrome camera back in December 2023, which you can find here. Looking back, I feel like I learned a lot along the way during this year in my astrophotography journey. It is nice to see my improvement, especially in terms of processing.
The most striking featured of this nebula is the central core of the heart, which is also known as Melotte 15.
Melotte 15 is a young and vibrant star cluster at the heart of the beautiful Heart Nebula, about 7,500 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia. Its massive stars light up the surrounding nebula and sculpt the gas and dust into stunning shapes like pillars and filaments. This stellar nursery is a fascinating place to study how stars form and shape their cosmic surroundings. Feel free to explore other parts of this stunning region in the full resolution image.
Maybe next year during another full moon cycle, I will attempt a mosaic of the region including the Soul and Fish Head Nebula.
Technical Details
Frames:
- H-alpha 3nm: 74×600″ (12h 20′)
- OIII 3nm: 54×600″ (9h)
- SII 3nm: 30×600″ (5h)
Total Integration: 26h 20′
Equipment:
- Sky-Watcher Esprit 100ED
- ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
- ZWO AM5
You can find this image also posted on my astrobin profile.
Sky Plot
As described above, the Heart Nebula is situated in the constellation Cassiopeia, which is best visible from Fall to beginning of Winter. This region also contains other amazing deep-sky objects such as the Soul and FIsh Head Nebula as well as a relatively newly discovered Supernova Remnant. Feel free to use the interactive sky plot to explore the area.