Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Cassiopeia (Cas)  ·  Contains:  HD15558  ·  HD15570  ·  HD15629  ·  IC 1805  ·  LBN 654  ·  LDN 1367  ·  LDN 1368  ·  LDN 1369  ·  Sh2-190
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Melotte 15 in IC1805, KuriousGeorge
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Melotte 15 in IC1805

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
Melotte 15 in IC1805, KuriousGeorge
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Melotte 15 in IC1805

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Description

Used Hubble Palette.

This bright star cluster is known as Melotte15 after its discover, Philibert Jacques Melotte (1880-1961).

Melotte 15 is embedded within and illuminates the central portion of the much larger glowing nebula identified as IC 1805 (Heart Nebula).

The three bright stars in an arc are type "O" stars which are the brightest and most massive stars known. Type O stars are also the shortest lived. While the Sun, a type "G" star, will happily burn its hydrogen fuel for 10 billion years or more, type O stars burn through their much more massive amount of fuel [typically type O stars are 20 to 100 times more massive than our sun] in as short as 3 to 6 million years. A very short lifespan as far as stars go.

Type O stars then end their lives in a spectacular Type II supernova which spreads the elements generated in the core of the star throughout the stellar neighborhood.

This interesting structure is a giant area of hydrogen gas that is caused to glow by the intense ultraviolet radiation from the massive stars of the Melotte 15 star cluster. It is estimated that this illuminated gas is more than 50 light years from the Melotte15 stars.

The Melotte 15 star cluster is estimated to be 7,500 light years away from Earth.

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