Soul Nebula in Cassiopeia
In astrophotography the key to a good image is integration time, especially if you image with a broadband color camera. This image now consists of 6 hours of exposure on this target. As a newbie in this hobby it takes me time to process an image so I try to wait until sufficient data has been collected before starting the process. Of course opportunities for imaging are sparse in the cloudy nights of summer here in the blue ridge. Fall is coming!
The Soul Nebula is an emission nebula located in the constellation Cassiopeia. It forms a famous pair known as the Heart and Soul with the neighbouring Heart Nebula (IC 1805). The Soul Nebula is sometimes also known as the Embryo Nebula or IC 1848, which is a designation used for the open star cluster embedded within the nebula.
The Heart and Soul Nebulae complex spans an area about 300 light years across and is a vast star-forming region illuminated by the light of the young stars surrounded by star-forming clouds of dust and gas. The two large clouds are separated by only 2.5 degrees and physically connected by a bridge of gas. The stars in the region are less than a few million years old and are only beginning their life. For comparison, our Sun has been around for almost 5 billion years.
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