Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2020 January 7

                       IC 405: The Flaming Star Nebula
              Image Credit & Copyright: Eric Coles and Mel Helm

   Explanation: Rippling dust and gas lanes give the Flaming Star Nebula
   its name. The orange and purple colors of the nebula are present in
   different regions and are created by different processes. The bright
   star AE Aurigae, visible toward the image left, is so hot it is blue,
   emitting light so energetic it knocks electrons away from surrounding
   gas. When a proton recaptures an electron, red light is frequently
   emitted (depicted here in orange). The purple region's color is a mix
   of this red light and blue light emitted by AE Aurigae but reflected to
   us by surrounding dust. The two regions are referred to as emission
   nebula and reflection nebula, respectively. Pictured here in the Hubble
   color palette, the Flaming Star Nebula, officially known as IC 405,
   lies about 1500 light years distant, spans about 5 light years, and is
   visible with a small telescope toward the constellation of the
   Charioteer (Auriga).

                  Tomorrow's picture: galaxies in the river
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