IC405 · Flaming Star Nebula
| Chinese name | 烈焰之星星云 |
|---|---|
| Type | Emission nebula |
| Constellation | Aur |
| RA | 05h16m |
| Dec | +34° |
| Apparent magnitude | 6ᵐ |
| Hemisphere | Northern |
| Best season | Winter |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Focal length | 中焦 400–800mm |
About
The Flaming Star Nebula lies about 1,500 light-years away in Auriga and is illuminated by the hot runaway star AE Aurigae. This blue O-type star was ejected from the Orion region millions of years ago and is now plowing through an unrelated cloud of dust. The nebula rarely combines both red emission (hydrogen ionized by the star's ultraviolet light) and blue reflection (starlight scattered by dust), giving it the look of a star wrapped in flames. It spans roughly 30 arcminutes, about 5 light-years across. The vivid red-and-blue contrast makes it a winter wide-field highlight, often framed with the neighboring IC 410 Tadpoles Nebula.