DIFFUSE NEBULAE

The emission nebula IC 405, known as the Flaming Star Nebula, is about 1500 light years away and approximately 5 light years across. The large, bright central star in the image is the variable star AE Aurigae. The nebula itself glows red due to the energy from AE Aurigae as the star passes through this region of interstellar gas and dust. AE’s temperature has been measured at 36,500 K. The star is very luminous and massive. Its luminosity is estimated to be 26-33,000 times greater than our Sun. Its radius is about 5 times that of our Sun. This image was taken with a new (to me) cooled, one-shot color CMOS astronomy camera, using an Optolong L-eNhance dual narrowband filter. Still have a lot to learn about how to get the best out of this camera and how to process the images it produces. But that’s the fun! Techy info and details can be found here.