Nebulas Heart and Soul Is it true that the heart and soul of our Galaxy are located in the Lady in the Chair? Probably, this is not true, but one can find two bright emission nebulas, named The Heart and the Soul, in this constellation. Nebula Heart, having official name IC 1805, could be seen to the right from the center of the picture. Its form resembles of a classic heart symbol. Both nebulas, shown in artificial colors, brightly shine in emission lines of ionized hydrogen. In the picture you can see several young scattered star clusters, located in the center of nebulas. The light from these nebulas reaches us in some 6000 years, and their size is about 300 light years. Studies of stars and clusters, similar to those in nebulas Heart and Soul, allow us learning more about processes of massive stars formation and their impact on interstellar environment. Author: Richard Chrisp. |