I have never understood why this nebula is called the Soul Nebula by some. To me, its resemblance to a human embryo is striking and immediately discernible. Featured in this image is the "head" region of the Embryo.
Embedded in this region of the nebula is the open cluster Collinder 34. (The cluster is difficult to discern in my image due to the presence of a dense concentration of field stars. Consult the following excellent annotated image by Jim Thommes to see the location of Cr 34 and other catalogued objects within my image's FOV:
https://www.jthommes.com/Astro/images/IC1848_FSQ_PI1_PS1_Crp_annotated.jpg.) Cr 34 is a very young open cluster, and a recent study found that it contains both main-sequence and pre-main-sequence stars, with the main-sequence stars located predominantly at the center of the cluster, and the pre-main-sequence stars located predominantly on the periphery. The authors of this study argue that this fact suggests that sequential star formation is occurring within the cluster.
The Embryo Nebula is located about 7,000 light years away and is approximately a million years old. It is a very young nebula, indeed, making the moniker Embryo Nebula all the more appropriate!
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