This large complex of faint emission nebulosity is located in eastern Cassiopeia, five degrees north of the famous Double Cluster in Perseus. Names for it do vary, sometimes it is called the "Heart Nebula" because it looks vaguely like a heart if you rotate the photo 90 degrees clockwise and use your imagination; other people refer to it as one of the two "Double Nebulae", the other of the pair being IC 1848, which is located nearby towards the southeast. Myself, I prefer the designation "Running Dog Nebula" as it certainly looks like a dog, the head being the brightest nebula patch towards to upper right corner (designated NGC 896), the long faint tail towards the upper left and the legs pointing downwards. The loose open cluster at the center of the nebula is also called IC 1805, radiation from its hot young stars excite the nebula's gas surrounding it, which consists mainly of hydrogen. The galactic cluster NGC 1027 is located near the left edge of the photo.
IC 1805 - Heart Nebula, CMOS image.
Exposure Data