IC410 · Tadpoles Nebula
| Chinese name | 蝌蚪星云 |
|---|---|
| Type | Emission nebula |
| Constellation | Aur |
| RA | 05h22m |
| Dec | +33° |
| Apparent magnitude | 7.5ᵐ |
| Hemisphere | Northern |
| Best season | Winter |
| Difficulty | Moderate |
| Focal length | 中长焦 800–1200mm |
About
IC 410 lies about 12,000 light-years away in Auriga, a large red emission nebula surrounding the young open cluster NGC 1893. Inside it are two dense, sculpted dust knots trailing tails like swimming tadpoles, each roughly 10 light-years long and being pushed away from the cluster by stellar winds. Intense radiation from the cluster stars continually ionizes the surrounding hydrogen, making it glow bright red. It often shares the frame with the nearby Flaming Star Nebula (IC 405). Hydrogen-dominated and rich in structure, it is a favorite Auriga narrowband target.