rudykokich
IC 1871, Soul Nebula Closeup, (SH2-199, IC1848, LBN 667, Westerhout 5), SHO
IC 1871 is a small emission nebula in the NE region of the much larger Soul Nebula in the constellation of Cassiopeia. While it is a good photographic target for small telescopes, especially with narrow-band filters, large apertures are required for visual appreciation. The region was first recorded as a nebula by W. Herschel in 1787. Along with well known neighbors, SH2-190 (Heart Nebula) and Double Cluster (NGC 869 and NGC 884), Soul Nebula is located in the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way. While this image spans approximately 100 light years in diameter, the entire Soul Nebula is a large hydrogen cloud with active star formation, extending over 330 ly, and lying at a distance between 6,500 and 7500 ly. The nebula emits light by fluorescence. It absorbs high energy, ionizing utraviolet radiation from the recently formed hot blue giant stars, then re-emits the energy in the visible band, mostly at the hydrogen alpha wavelength of the Balmer series. Radiation pressure from the photons emanating from these stars, and stellar winds ejected from their extremely hot surfaces generate outward pressure gradients upon the nebula which ultimately determine its morphology.
One effect of the outward pressure is the formation of giant central cavities of low gas density, as gas clouds are forced toward the periphery of the nebula. Another one is triggered star formation along the outer borders of the cavities, whereby denser regions of molecular gas clouds are compressed into gravitational contraction, causing them to ignite into still more new stars. A large number of the stars in the attached image are classified in the SIMBAD database as Young Stellar Objects (YSOs). The Soul Nebula is known as a prolific radio-active stellar nursery, which has so far given birth to at least three generations of young stars. It has been shown that stars become prograssively younger as their distance from the center of a cavity increases. Finally, when the rapid gas currents blowing toward the periphery pass around dense, massive objects, they create conical wakes of turbulent flow, which appear as comet-like triangles pointing toward the central cluster. In very large telescopes, the apex of each cone is shown to be occupied by either a star or a young proto-planetary disk (proplyd).
Image details:
-Remote Takahashi Epsilon 250x850mm
-Paramount PME GEM
-16 x 300 sec subs each in SHO
-DSS, XnView, StarNet++, StarTools v 1.3 and 1.7
IC 1871, Soul Nebula Closeup, (SH2-199, IC1848, LBN 667, Westerhout 5), SHO
IC 1871 is a small emission nebula in the NE region of the much larger Soul Nebula in the constellation of Cassiopeia. While it is a good photographic target for small telescopes, especially with narrow-band filters, large apertures are required for visual appreciation. The region was first recorded as a nebula by W. Herschel in 1787. Along with well known neighbors, SH2-190 (Heart Nebula) and Double Cluster (NGC 869 and NGC 884), Soul Nebula is located in the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way. While this image spans approximately 100 light years in diameter, the entire Soul Nebula is a large hydrogen cloud with active star formation, extending over 330 ly, and lying at a distance between 6,500 and 7500 ly. The nebula emits light by fluorescence. It absorbs high energy, ionizing utraviolet radiation from the recently formed hot blue giant stars, then re-emits the energy in the visible band, mostly at the hydrogen alpha wavelength of the Balmer series. Radiation pressure from the photons emanating from these stars, and stellar winds ejected from their extremely hot surfaces generate outward pressure gradients upon the nebula which ultimately determine its morphology.
One effect of the outward pressure is the formation of giant central cavities of low gas density, as gas clouds are forced toward the periphery of the nebula. Another one is triggered star formation along the outer borders of the cavities, whereby denser regions of molecular gas clouds are compressed into gravitational contraction, causing them to ignite into still more new stars. A large number of the stars in the attached image are classified in the SIMBAD database as Young Stellar Objects (YSOs). The Soul Nebula is known as a prolific radio-active stellar nursery, which has so far given birth to at least three generations of young stars. It has been shown that stars become prograssively younger as their distance from the center of a cavity increases. Finally, when the rapid gas currents blowing toward the periphery pass around dense, massive objects, they create conical wakes of turbulent flow, which appear as comet-like triangles pointing toward the central cluster. In very large telescopes, the apex of each cone is shown to be occupied by either a star or a young proto-planetary disk (proplyd).
Image details:
-Remote Takahashi Epsilon 250x850mm
-Paramount PME GEM
-16 x 300 sec subs each in SHO
-DSS, XnView, StarNet++, StarTools v 1.3 and 1.7