Look Up for Love
Kelly Carroll
The Universe is full of beautiful, sometimes mystifying, and always awe inspiring objects. Stars, planets, comets, galaxies - these are all objects we know and love, objects we can see with our naked eye in the night sky, and objects that are the source and subject of stories going back thousands of years.
But there is another type of object, often impossible to see with the naked eye, that didn't enter human consciousness until around 1,000 years ago - the nebula. Nebulae are clouds of dust and gas that occupy the space between stars. Called star nurseries, nebulae are the place where new stars are born. And these objects are arguably some of the most beautiful in the night sky.
During this month of February, when Saint Valentine is encouraging everyone to become obsessed with heart shaped candies, chocolates, and cards, I have instead been looking up and imaging the giant heart shape in the night sky - the Heart Nebula. About 7,500 light years from Earth, this nebula is made up primarily of oxygen and sulfur gases, which show up as brilliant blue and orange when imaged through a narrow band filter.
All Heart Nebula products are 10% off with code HEART, now through February 14th. I hope you enjoy this glimpse of the night sky and the opportunity to give a different kind of heart shaped Valentine this year <3