210202 "Heart & Soul" nebulae + double star cluster of Perseus
|
click image to enlarge
|
ASTRO:
type=DSO complex const=Cassiopeia mag=6.5 dist=7500 ly size=3.5 ly (avg) IMAGE: location=EB Backyard BrtlCls=4 exposure=DSLR OSC: 11x300s (0.9h), ISO1600. f/4.8 EQUIPMENT: camera=Nikon D90 (mod) optics=NIKKOR 70-300mm FX zoom @ 135mm filter=STC Astro DuoNB mount=Celestron AVX EQ guiding=Orion 60x240mm, ZWO ASi244MC SOFTWARE: cquisition=Stellarium, APT, PHD2, processing=DSS, PhotoshopCC, RCAstro_GradXT & NoiseXT OTHER: False Luminance added to simulate LRGB |
|
This complex includes IC1848 (Soul Nebula) and neighbor IC1805 (Heart Nebula) and being separated by only appx 3 arc-degrees in the sky, they are often mentioned together as the "Heart and Soul".
In this collection, also see images "211129 IC1848 Soul Nebula" and "220926 IC1805 Heart Nebula" for better detail and individual astronomical heritage.
The nearby Double Star Cluster (also known as Caldwell 14, or C14) consists of the open star clusters NGC 869 and NGC 884, which are close together in the constellation Perseus. Both visible with the naked eye, they lie at a distance of about 7,500 light years away from Earth in the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way galaxy.
NGC 869 has a mass of appx 4,700 solar masses, and NGC 884 weighs in at appx 3,700 solar masses; both clusters are surrounded with a very extensive halo of stars, with a total mass for the complex of at least 20,000 solar masses. Based on their individual stars, the clusters are relatively young (by astronomical standards), both being appx 14 M years old. In comparison, M45 (the Pleiades) has an estimated age of 115 M years.
There are more than 300 blue-white super-giant stars in each of the Perseid star clusters. The clusters are also blue-shifted, which translates into both clusters approaching Earth at a speed of appx 24 mi/sec. NGC 884 includes five prominent red supergiant stars, all variable stars, and all around 8th magnitude in brightness.
In this collection, also see images "211129 IC1848 Soul Nebula" and "220926 IC1805 Heart Nebula" for better detail and individual astronomical heritage.
The nearby Double Star Cluster (also known as Caldwell 14, or C14) consists of the open star clusters NGC 869 and NGC 884, which are close together in the constellation Perseus. Both visible with the naked eye, they lie at a distance of about 7,500 light years away from Earth in the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way galaxy.
NGC 869 has a mass of appx 4,700 solar masses, and NGC 884 weighs in at appx 3,700 solar masses; both clusters are surrounded with a very extensive halo of stars, with a total mass for the complex of at least 20,000 solar masses. Based on their individual stars, the clusters are relatively young (by astronomical standards), both being appx 14 M years old. In comparison, M45 (the Pleiades) has an estimated age of 115 M years.
There are more than 300 blue-white super-giant stars in each of the Perseid star clusters. The clusters are also blue-shifted, which translates into both clusters approaching Earth at a speed of appx 24 mi/sec. NGC 884 includes five prominent red supergiant stars, all variable stars, and all around 8th magnitude in brightness.