Melotte 15 Nebula
Melotte 15 in Cassiopeia
at left, is an open cluster of bright stars located at the heart of the Heart Nebula- IC 1805. Named for its discoverer, Philibert Jacques Melotte (1880-1961), the grouping of O-type supergiants is only about 1.5 million years old. 'O' stars are the brightest and most massive known- about 20 to 100 times larger than the Sun! The lifespan of these hot, blue stars can be as short as 3-6 million years. Melotte 15 is about 7,500 light years away from Earth. This data was acquired from New Mexico Skies in 2013-4.
LARGE
at left, is an open cluster of bright stars located at the heart of the Heart Nebula- IC 1805. Named for its discoverer, Philibert Jacques Melotte (1880-1961), the grouping of O-type supergiants is only about 1.5 million years old. 'O' stars are the brightest and most massive known- about 20 to 100 times larger than the Sun! The lifespan of these hot, blue stars can be as short as 3-6 million years. Melotte 15 is about 7,500 light years away from Earth. This data was acquired from New Mexico Skies in 2013-4.
LARGE