The Heart and Soul Nebulae are a cosmic duo located in the constellation Cassiopeia.
The Heart Nebula and the Soul Nebula are often photographed together and as a result have earned the moniker 'Heart and Soul Nebulae'
The Heart Nebula
Heart Nebula by Joshua Rhoades, Elkhart, Illinois, USA.
The Heart Nebula, also known as IC 1805, is an emission nebula located 7,500 lightyears away in the Cassiopeia constellation.
The term 'emission' means that the cosmic gas that forms the nebula is actually glowing itself, rather than reflecting starlight (as is the case with a reflection nebula).
Over the years IC 1805 has been designated as the 'Heart Nebula' due to its resemblance to the shape of a human heart.
At the centre of the Heart Nebula is an open star cluster called Melotte 15, which contains bright stars that are about 50 times as massive as our own Sun.
The stars of Melotte 15 are blasting the surrounding hydrogen and causing it to emit light, powering the Heart Nebula's beautiful glow.
The Soul Nebula
IC 1848 Soul Nebula by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK.
The Heart Nebula is often imaged with IC 1848, which is known as the Soul Nebula. It's also located in Cassiopeia and is 6,500 lightyears away.
The Soul Nebula is a cloud of cosmic gas and dust 150 lightyears wide that's being illuminated and carved by powerful streams of charged particles emanating from an open cluster of stars.
Like the Heart Nebula, it too is an emission nebula.
The Heart and Soul Nebulae are both located in the Perseus arm of our galaxy, the Milky Way, and together stretch about 600 lightyears across.
The Heart and Soul Nebulae, by Prabhakaran (Prabhu), Buraq and Mleiha, UAE, 14, 15 and 21 September 2020. Equipment: ZWO ASI 1600MM Pro camera, Samyang 135mm f/2.8 lens, Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 mount
These star-forming regions are a popular target for astrophotographers, who love capturing the Heart and Soul together in one shot.
How to find the Heart and Soul Nebula
A chart showing the location of IC 1805, the Heart Nebula, in Cassiopeia. Click to expand. Credit: Pete Lawrence.
You can find the Heart and Soul Nebula near the star Segin in Cassiopeia.
Segin is the left-most star of the 'W' shape of Cassiopeia.
IC 1805, the Heart Nebula and IC 1848, the Soul Nebula
Ronald Brecher, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, 22-23 October 2023
Equipment: QHY 367C Pro colour CMOS camera, Takahashi FS-60CB doublet APO refractor, Paramount MX mount
Heart and Soul nebulae
Basudeb Chakrabarti, IC Astronomy Observatory, Spain (remote data), February 21, 2022
Equipment: FLI PL16083 camera, Takahashi FSQ-106EDX4 refractor, Paramount MX mount
The Heart and Soul Nebulae
Jeffrey Horne, Nashville, Tennessee, USA, 11 October 2021
Equipment: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro camera, TPO UltraWide 180 triplet apo refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro mount
The Heart and Soul Nebulae
Simon Todd, Haywards Heath, November 2020–February 2021
Equipment: ZWO ASI ASI6200MC camera, SharpStar 15028HNT astrograph, Sky-Watcher EQ8 Pro mount
The Heart and Soul Nebulae
Martin Bracken, Chelmsford, 25 September–3 November 2021
Equipment: ZWO ASI294MC Pro camera, Sky-Watcher Esprit 100ED refractor, Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro mount
The Heart and Soul Nebulae
Prabhakaran (Prabhu), Buraq and Mleiha, UAE, 14, 15 and 21 September 2020
Equipment: ZWO ASI 1600MM Pro camera, Samyang 135mm f/2.8 lens, Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 mount
The Heart and Soul Nebulae Keith Bramley, Lancashire, 14–22 February 2019 Equipment: Atik 383L mono camera, Samyang 135mm f/2 telephoto lens, Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro mount.
The Heart and Soul Nebulae, Keith Bramley, Lancashire, 14-22 February 2019. Equipment: Atik 383L mono camera, Samyang 135mm f/2 telephoto lens, Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro mount.
Soul Nebula by Dan Ornsby, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: William Optics star71 MK1. Atik 383L mono. Baader narrowband filters. NEQ6 polar aligned via Polemaster. Guided with QHY5L11-C and PHD2.
Heart Nebula by Joshua Rhoades, Elkhart, Illinois, USA. Equipment: Celestron Advanced VX mount, Stellarvue Access 80 mm refractor telescope, Stellarvue 0.8x Focal Reducer/Flattener for the SV80, Stellarvue 9x50 finderscope, QHY5L-II guiding camera, Canon EOS T3i modded, Astronomik UHC Clip Filter inserted into the Canon EOS T3i
Heart and Tunafish Nebulae by James Robertson, Croydon, UK. Equipment: Canon 750d modified, Astronomik Ha clip filter, Skywatcher Esprit 80ed f5/400
IC 1848 Soul Nebula by José, La Jonquera, Girona, Spain. Equipment: MN190, Atik 383, Taka 106, Canon 550D.
The Heart Nebula, As Deep As Love by Terry Hancock, New Mexico, USA. Equipment: Takahashi FSQ106 APO, KAF8300, SII, Ha and OIII narrowband filters.
A Deep View of The Heart by Terry Hancock, New Mexico, USA. Equipment: Takahashi FSQ106 APO, KAF8300, SII, Ha and OIII narrowband filters.
IC1805 Heart Nebula in HST by Chris Heapy, Macclesfield, UK. Equipment: Moravian G4-16000 monochrome CCD camera, Tele Vue-NP127is apo refractor, 10-Micron GM 2000 HPS mount.
IC1848 Soul Nebula by Peter Jenkins, Mansfield, UK. Equipment: Officina Stellare 115mm, Atik 383L mono camera, NEQ6, Astrodon HA, OIII and SII filters
Melotte 15 at the Heart of the Heart Nebula by Terry Hancock, New Mexico, USA. Equipment: Takahashi FSQ106 APO, KAF8300, SII, Ha and OIII narrowband filters.
IC1848 - The Soul Nebula (Bi Colour) by Gavin James, Marlborough, UK. Equipment: William Optics Star71, QSI 683-WSG
IC1805 - The Heart Nebula by Gavin James, Marlborough, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher 80ED, QSI683-WSG.
IC1805 Centre of the Heart Nebula by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: Celestron C11 Sct, Skywatcher NEQ6 pro mount,Atik 383L camera, motorised filter wheel and Astronomik filters. F6.3 focal reducer.
The Heart Nebula by Chris Grimmer, Seething, Norfolk, UK. Equipment: William Optics GT81 Triplet, SXVR H694 CCD, Baader filters, iOptron cem60 standard.
Heart of the Heart Nebula by Gerard Tártalo Montardit, Lleida, Spain. Equipment: Canon EOS 600D modified and cooled, Skywatcher 150/750 pds, Skywatcher NEQ6 Pro2, Guided with ZWO ASI 290mc on Celestron 130/650.
The Heart Nebula by Jeffrey O. Johnson, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA. Equipment: Takahashi FS-60C, Takahashi EM200 Temma II, QSI 540wsg, SX Lodestar, Astrodon Ha(3nm), Astrodon Tru-Balance I-Series LRGB Gen 2.
The Heart Nebula, IC 1805, Sharpless 2-190 by Mariusz Szymaszek, Crawley, UK. Equipment: Evostar 80ED DS-Pro w/ field flattener, HEQ5Pro, Sony A7S unmodded, Skywatcher SynGuider, Panagor 400mm lens, Optolong L-Pro (L-Professional) 2" filter.
Heart Nebula by Alejandro Pertuz Domönguez, Soria, Spain. Equipment: TS80 Triplet APO, Canon 1000Da, NEQ6 Pro Mod, Autoguide with ASI120MC and 80mm scope
The Way Through by Paul C Swift, Valencia, Spain. Equipment: Takahashi TSA 102, Starlight Express SXVR-H18, Sky-Watcher NEQ6 Pro, Takahashi TSA 102, SX Loadstar, Takahashi TOA/FS Reducer.
IC1805 by Jaspal Chadha, London, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher Espirt 100ED Telescope, QSI 690 CCD, Ioptron CEM60 Mount
IC1805 and IC1848 in false colour by Sara Wager, Spain. Equipment: HEQ5 and Avalon Linear Fast reverse mount, Takahashi FSQ85 with 0.73x reducer, Atik 460EXM with 3nm Ha and 3nm OIII filters
The Heart and Soul Nebulae, Keith Bramley, Lancashire, 14-22 February 2019. Equipment: Atik 383L+ mono camera, Samyang 135mm f/2 telephoto lens, Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro mount.
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