心脏星云的核心

2022年2月14日

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

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

Tomorrow’s picture: terminator moon

心脏星云的核心
影像提供与版权: Adam Jensen

说明: 谁在驱动心脏星云发光呢？首先，这个编录号为IC 1805的大型发射星云，整体外观形似人的心脏。而形状和情人节很合拍的心脏星云，因为内部含有大量处在激发态、正在散发辉光的氢，因而发出很明亮的红光。这些泛红的辉光与整体轮廓，都是由位在星云中心的一小群恒星所驱动的。位在心脏星云核心的疏散星团梅洛特15之年轻成员星，以恒星风和辐射侵蚀出数根很上相的尘埃柱。这个疏散星团，拥有一些质量将近50倍太阳的亮星、许多质量只有太阳一小部分的暗星、与一颗数百万年前就被赶出去而失踪的微类星体。心脏星云位在北天．以神话里爱吹牛的埃塞俄比亚王后为名的仙后 座方向，离我们约有7,500光年远。 （Melotte 15 梅洛特15）

明日的图片: terminator moon