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Welcome to Stellarvue's Stellar Shot Of The Week! If you would like to submit images taken with your Stellarvue telescope, email them to: mail@stellarvue.com. Include the following permission in your email so we may use them: "Attached is my image of (object name). I grant Stellarvue Inc. permission to use this image on the Stellarvue website, in Stellarvue promotional material and in educational programs." Please submit the highest resolution images you can send, preferably in the JPEG format. High resolution images may also be sent in PNG or SVG.

Stellar Shot of the Week

SVX102T - Heart Nebula by Keith Bentley

March 24, 2026 - Keith Bentley

Keith Bentley caught this spectacular shot of the Heart Nebula (Sh2-190) in Cassiopeia with his SVX102T. This emission nebula is located approximately 7,500 light-years away from Earth and has a rough diameter of 330 light-years. Displayed within this object is glowing ionized hydrogen and darker dust lanes. It is also made up of ionized oxygen and sulfur gasses, responsible for its rich blue and orange color. The red color is driven by radiation emanating from a small group of hot stars near the nebula’s center.

Other Designations: NGC 896, IC1805, Sh 2-190, Westerhout 4 (W4)

Details:

Telescope: Stellarvue SVX102T

Focuser: 3” Stellarvue rack and pinion

Reducer Flattener: .74 Reducer Flattener for SVX102T

Camera: ZWO 2600mm

Filters: Antlia 3nm sho filters

Mount: ZWO AM5

Location: Taken from my backyard in east San Diego county.

References:

Wikipedia contributors. (2026, February 8). Heart Nebula. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_Nebula