Soul Nebula

Object Type: Emission Nebula
Top images (2022) - Orion APO 80mm, 240 min; Lower image (2009) - Orion APO 80mm, 195 min.

The Soul Nebula (IC 1848, Westerhout 5, Sh2-199), sometimes called the Embryo Nebula for its shape, is a large emission nebula in Cassiopeia. Several young open star clusters are embedded in it, and their radiation lights the surrounding hydrogen gas while carving the dark pillars along its rim. It is the eastern neighbor of the Heart Nebula (IC 1805); together the pair is popularly known as the 'Heart and Soul.' It lies roughly 6,500-7,500 light-years away in the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way.