APOD: W5: The Soul Nebula (2023 Mar 14)

[APOD Robot]

W5: The Soul Nebula

Explanation: Stars are forming in the Soul of the Queen of Aethopia. More specifically, a large star forming region called the Soul Nebula can be found in the direction of the constellation Cassiopeia, whom Greek mythology credits as the vain wife of a King who long ago ruled lands surrounding the upper Nile river. Also known as Westerhout 5 (W5), the Soul Nebula houses several open clusters of stars, ridges and pillars darkened by cosmic dust, and huge evacuated bubbles formed by the winds of young massive stars. Located about 6,500 light years away, the Soul Nebula spans about 100 light years and is usually imaged next to its celestial neighbor the Heart Nebula (IC 1805). The featured image is a composite of exposures made in different colors: red as emitted by hydrogen gas, yellow as emitted by sulfur, and blue as emitted by oxygen.

<< Previous APOD

This Day in APOD

Next APOD >>

[Ann]

W5: The Soul Nebula. Image Credit & Copyright: José Jiménez (Astromet)

---

Click to view full size image

This is the first time I've seen the Soul Nebula as a dog! Although it sure looks bullied and beaten, not like a proud golden retriever.

I always see the Soul Nebula as a baby, lying on its back.

The Soul Nebula, interpreted by me as a human baby.
Image credit: Bart Delsaert.

Surely you can see the resemblance?

---

The Soul Nebula baby has a "Little Man" (or is it an upside down dog?) near his elbow:

Little Man in the Soul Nebula.
Image: Bart Delsaert.

Ann

[DeeBee]

The larger, left section of the Soul Nebula looks very much like a close up of a large bearded man's face taking up the entire section; complete with a nose and nostrils, a mouth and a wispy beard at the bottom. The two large eye sockets stare straight at the viewer. Awesome image!

[De58te]

It's amazing how a nebula called the Soul actually looks like a dog or a baby or a little man. If I may add my impression, the left half looks like the body of a running bison in the Old West. Even has the high hump on the back near the shoulder of a bison or buffalo. But yet the face looks like a brown bear if you disregard the blue face and make the face brown.

[orin stepanek]

Ann is really good at descibe[ng a photo!

This is one of my favorites; it is easy to let
your imagination run wild wit it! :mrgreen!

[johnnydeep]

As do others, I see an animal in this particular image of the Soul Nebula. In my case, a crouching bear!

[VictorBorun]

As do others, I see an animal in this particular image of the Soul Nebula. In my case, a crouching bear!