The Heart Nebula (catalogued as IC 1805 and Sh2-190) is a spectacular emission region located in the constellation Cassiopeia, about 7,500 light-years away from Earth, in the direction of the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way.

The Heart Nebula is an emission nebula (H II region) and appears both in the Index Catalogue as IC 1805 and in the Sharpless catalogue as Sh2-190.

It lies approximately 7,500 light-years from us and spans an apparent size of about 2° (roughly four times the diameter of the full Moon).

Its shape, reminiscent of a stylized human heart, is due to the interplay of gas and dust shaped by the intense ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds from the massive young stars within.

At the center of the nebula lies the open star cluster Melotte 15, composed of blue giants and supergiants that illuminate and sculpt the surrounding clouds. Their emissions ionize hydrogen, which glows in the characteristic pinkish-red tones in narrowband photography.

IC 1805 is a challenging target for visual observation due to its low surface brightness but becomes spectacular in long-exposure astrophotography. With instruments equipped with narrowband filters (Hα, OIII, SII), incredible filamentary structures and dark dusty regions emerge.

It is often captured together with the nearby Soul Nebula (IC 1848), forming the famous “Heart and Soul” pair, and is one of the most studied star-forming regions in the Milky Way.

I have also included a close-up detail of the fascinating strip of torn dust that shapes the well-known Fish Head Nebula.

Equipment:
Tecnosky OWL 90/540 @ 432
Tecnosky 0.8x reducer
Celestron CGX mount
Player One Artemis-C Pro camera
Player One Xena-M guide camera
Player One OAG
Filter: L-eNhance 2"
Acquisition software: N.I.N.A. – PHD2 – CPWI
Processing software: Siril 1.4 Beta3 – GraXpert 3.1.0 rc2 – Photoshop (Camera Raw)

Frames:
Light: 72 × 300" (-10°C / Offset 30)
Dark: 25
Flat: 20
Bias: 20

Location:
Fano (PU), Italy – Bortle 6 sky – SQM 19.38 mag./arcsec²
Latitude: 43°49'58.7"N — Longitude: 13°01'15.5"E
Acquisition date: 20/09/2025