Heart of Cassiopeia

Beating in the body of the mythical queen of Aethiopia, Cassiopeia, is the Heart Nebula. Nearly 200 light-years across and 7,500 light-years from Earth, this bright emission nebula spans about 2 degrees of the night sky, an area about four times the diameter of the full Moon. The young, massive star cluster at the center of the Heart energize the surrounding gases dominated by hydrogen, with lesser measures of oxygen and sulfur. I was fortunate to have exceptionally clear and dry weather when I captured the exposures for this project. 
 
27.8 hours total exposure of hydrogen, oxygen, and sulfur emissions.