Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2022 February 14
   [2]The featured image shows what IC 1805 the Heart Nebula including an
   internal star cluster and internal pillars of gas and dust. Please see
               the explanation for more detailed information.

                      In the Heart of the Heart Nebula
                  Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Adam Jensen

   Explanation: What excites the Heart Nebula? First, the large
   [4]emission nebula dubbed [5]IC 1805 looks, in whole, like a [6]human
   heart. Its shape perhaps fitting of the [7]Valentine's Day, this heart
   glows brightly in red light emitted by its most prominent element:
   [8]excited [9]hydrogen. The red glow and the larger shape are all
   created by a small group of stars near the [10]nebula's center. In the
   heart of the [11]Heart Nebula are young stars from the open star
   cluster [12]Melotte 15 that are eroding away several [13]picturesque
   dust pillars with their energetic light and winds. The [14]open cluster
   of stars contains a few [15]bright stars nearly 50 times the mass of
   our Sun, many dim stars only a fraction of the mass of our Sun, and an
   [16]absent microquasar that was expelled millions of years ago. The
   [17]Heart Nebula is located about 7,500 [18]light years away toward the
   [19]constellation of the [20]mythological Queen of Aethiopia
   ([21]Cassiopeia).

                     Tomorrow's picture: terminator moon
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    Authors & editors: [33]Robert Nemiroff ([34]MTU) & [35]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([36]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [37]Specific rights apply.
              [38]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [39]ASD at [40]NASA / [41]GSFC
                           & [42]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2202/HeartB_Jensen_3925.jpg
   3. mailto: adam-jensen at hotmail dot com
   4. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/emission_nebulae.html
   5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130304.html
   6. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/heart/heartmap.html
   7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine's_Day
   8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excited_state
   9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap141018.html
  11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcOxhH8N3Bo
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170210.html
  13. http://www.fearfuladventurer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/dust_bunny.jpg
  14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_cluster
  15. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2006A&A...456.1121D/abstract
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap040916.html
  17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_Nebula
  18. https://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question19.html
  19. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/constellations/en/
  20. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassiopeia_(mother_of_Andromeda)
  21. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassiopeia_(constellation)
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220213.html
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  26. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  31. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=220214
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220215.html
  33. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  34. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  35. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  36. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  37. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  38. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  39. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/
  41. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  42. http://www.mtu.edu/