Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Perseus (Per)  ·  Contains:  NGC 1624  ·  Sh2-212
NGC 1624 & Sh2-212, Gary Imm
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NGC 1624 & Sh2-212

NGC 1624 & Sh2-212, Gary Imm
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NGC 1624 & Sh2-212

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Description

This image captures an emission nebula and open star cluster, both located 20,000 light years away in the constellation of Perseus at a declination of +50 degrees.

NGC 1624 is the magnitude 12.8 open star cluster in the center of the nebula. It is not a bright cluster, which is good or it would visually overwhelm the Sh2-212 emission nebula that surrounds it. The cluster is about 3 arc-minutes in diameter, which translates to a diameter of 20 light years.

Sh2-212 is crossed by many faint dust lanes which, to me, give the nebula a bit of a 3-D look. The nebula looks a bit like a heart.

In 2012, an international team of astronomers reported the discovery of the strongest magnetic field ever found around a massive star. That star, 2MASS J04403728+5027410, is the brightest star at the center of the nebula. It has a mass of 30 times that of the Sun. Its magnetic field is 20,000 times stronger than the Sun's.

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