Head of the Soul

October 31, 2019

SoulheadHAOO_4_5hrRGBChumackhrweb (003)

Photographer: John Chumack
Summary Authors: John Chumack; Jim Foster

Featured above is the featureless and yes ghostly Soul Nebula. Also known as the Embryo Nebula, it’s found in the constellation of Cassiopea, some 6,500 light-years distant. Much too dim to be visible to the naked eye, it’s enclosed by dust and gas clouds, spanning about 150 light-years in diameter. W5 (Westerhout 5), an emission nebula and extensive radio source lies within the Soul Nebula. The head of the Soul is made up of several open star clusters. Some people claim to be able to make out a human form within its gassy mass. Photo imaged on the nights of September 23 and September 26, 2019.

Photo Details: 4.5 hour exposure time from my backyard observatory in Dayton, Ohio; QHY183M BI CMOS camera and C6 Newtonian Telescope; Bisque MyT mount; Coma Corrector; and EFW; Deepsky Stacker; Maxim DL; and Adobe CS.