The Soul Nebula dazzles in this captivating night sky photo.
Astrophotographer Steve Coates took this image on Nov. 8 to 9, 2012 from Ocala, Fla. and released it to SPACE.com May 23, 2013. He used a QSI 683 ws camera, Orion 80 mm EON (FL 480 mm) telescope, Orion 50 mm guide scope with SSAG, Astrodon Tru-balance E-Series Generation II LRGB filters, Baader 7 nm Ha filter, mounted on a Losmandy G-11 with Gemini II to capture the image.
The Soul Nebula, or IC 1848, lies near its star-forming neighbor, the Heart Nebula, in the constellation Cassiopeia. The emission nebula is located about 6,500 light-years away and spans 100 light-years wide.
The Soul Nebula is located in a large star-forming area of the galaxy where gas, dust and radiation from newborn stars are carving a cavity in the bright cloud. [50 Amazing Nebula Photos]
See Also: Soul on Fire: Stargazer Bob Andersson's view of the Soul Nebula.
Editor's note: If you have an amazing night sky photo you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, please contact managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com.
Follow SPACE.com on Twitter @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
