A Stellar Nursery in Cassiopeia
NGC 281 is a bright emission nebula located approximately 9,200 light-years away in the constellation of Cassiopeia. Its colloquial name, the Pac-Man Nebula, comes from its distinct shape in wide-field images—a jagged opening that resembles the classic arcade character.
This region is a massive HII star-forming complex. At its center lies the open cluster IC 1590, whose massive stars provide the energetic UV radiation required to ionize the surrounding hydrogen gas, causing the nebula to glow with its characteristic crimson and amber hues.
Imaging Challenges
- Faint outer hydrogen shell requires long integration times to separate from the background noise.
- Processing the intense brightness of the IC 1590 cluster while preserving delicate details in the Bok globules.
- Balancing the Hubble Palette (SHO) to reveal the high-contrast transitions between Oxygen and Sulfur regions.
"Looking into the heart of NGC 281 reveals the violent yet beautiful process of stellar birth, where radiation pressure carves pillars out of cold cosmic dust."