nebula · IC 1805
Heart Nebula
The Heart Nebula in Cassiopeia is a large emission nebula around 7,500 light-years away whose distinctive shape is carved by powerful stellar winds from the young open cluster Melotte 15 at its core. The central cluster contains several O-type stars, some of the hottest and most massive stars known, whose combined radiation ionises the surrounding hydrogen and sculpts the dramatic cavities and pillars visible in hydrogen-alpha imaging.