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WISE: Heart and Soul Nebulas in Infrared

Explanation: Is the heart and soul of our Galaxy located in Cassiopeia? Possibly not, but that is where two bright emission nebulas nicknamed Heart and Soul can be found. The Heart Nebula, officially dubbed IC 1805 and visible in the above right, has a shape in optical light reminiscent of a classical heart symbol. The above image, however, was taken in infrared light by the recently launched WISE telescope. Infrared light penetrates well inside the vast and complex bubbles created by newly formed stars in the interior of these two massive star forming regions. Studies of stars and dust like those found in the Heart and Soul Nebulas have focussed on how massive stars form and how they affect their environment. Light takes about 6,000 years to reach us from these nebulas, which together span roughly 300 light years.

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APOD Robot wrote: WISE: Heart and Soul Nebulas in Infrared

Studies of stars and dust like those found in the Heart and Soul Nebulas have
focused on how massive stars form and how they affect their environment.

If things really looked that colorful up there - there would be a lot of people with sore necks!! Sometimes fiction looks better than truth.

Also, shouldn't that be - infared is emitted from well within - instead of infared penetrates well with in?
The telescope is picking up what is emitted. The telescope is not shooting out infared.

beyond wrote:If things really looked that colorful up there - there would be a lot of people with sore necks!! Sometimes fiction looks better than truth.

It's not fiction; it's presentation.

beyond wrote:Also, shouldn't that be - infared is emitted from well within - instead of infared penetrates well with in?
The telescope is picking up what is emitted. The telescope is not shooting out infared.

Yes and no... It is insufficient to state simply that "infared is emitted from well within" because it neglects to say that that radiation can actually escape to be recorded. So something more involved must actually be stated to satisfy your criteria.

Passive remote sensing often borrows terminology from active remote sensing (x-rays, sonograms, etc.) for convenience & simplicity.

I've just been going on about how I need astro-images to show objects in "true color" for me to appreciate them. And, yeah, yeah, I know that infrared images just can't ever be "true color" (because they depict objects and structures that are colorless in themselves, stupid). Well, for a false color picture I think this image of the Heart and Soul nebulae is "pretty-ish", but as always, images that don't depict things in true color feel sort of unreal to me. So hey, let's have the Alien poster as a backdrop to these nebulae! Or, better yet, maybe that ghastly green egg from "Alien" was hatched in one of those nebular "wombs"?

Ann

I think the picture is beautiful The kind I look for to add to my wallpaper collection! The heart looks very reminiscent to a human heart (my opinion). So the heart nebula is well named.

Ah yes, presentation.......Thats why Eve said--Boy, that apple sure looks good!

Kudos for whoever named this thing " heart and soul ". So fitting. Pass the ice cold one and look at this

Re: Your statement, "Infrared light penetrates well inside" Would it be more correct to say "emanates from well inside" ? We are not shining infrared energy at it!