IC 63 – The Ghost in Cassiopeia – Wide Angle

Also called the Gamma Cassiopeia Nebula—so named after the bright star (visible in the frame) that powers it and shapes it, the Ghost is about 550 light years away in Cassiopeia.

Gamma Cassiopeia is a monster star: 15 times more massive and 65,000 times brighter the sun. It spins at a blazingly fast one million miles per hour—200 times the spin rate of the sun. It gives off enough energy to ionized and light up IC 63 even though it’s several light years away.

IC 63, together with IC 59, is part of a much larger emission region surrounding Gamma Cassiopeia. IC 63 was noted by Stewart Sharpless and added to his catalogue as Sh2-185.

See below for a link to a narrower-field, more detailed image of this region.