IC 1805 · nebula

Heart Nebula

The Heart Nebula is an emission nebula, 7,500 light-years (2,300 pc) away from Earth and located in the Perseus Arm of the Galaxy in the constellation Cassiopeia.

RA02h 32m 41sDec+61° 27' 24"

Image: Ram samudrala. CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Identity & coordinates

Identification

Primary designation: IC 1805
All designations: IC 1805 · Heart Nebula
Object type: Nebula
Constellation: Cassiopeia
Best viewing: Autumn · Winter

Coordinates & physical

Right ascension (J2000): 02h 32m 41s
Declination (J2000): +61° 27' 24"
Apparent magnitude (V): —
Distance: —

III

Visibility tonight

The science

The Heart Nebula is an emission nebula, 7,500 light-years (2,300 pc) away from Earth and located in the Perseus Arm of the Galaxy in the constellation Cassiopeia. It was discovered by William Herschel on 3 November 1787. In 1958, it was identified as a radio source by Gart Westerhout and is therefore also referred to as Westerhout 4 .

It displays glowing ionized hydrogen gas and darker dust lanes.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia · CC-BY-SA-4.0