Flaming Star Nebula, IC 405
The red and purple colors of this nebula are created by different processes. The brightest star in the
nebula is emitting energetic blue light which knocks electrons into more energetic orbits in the
hydrogen atoms that make up most the interstellar gas. When the electrons fall back to their original
orbit, red light is emitted (H-alpha). The region's purple color is a mix of this red light and blue light
emitted by the star which is reflected to us by surrounding dust. The two regions are referred to as
emission and reflection nebula, respectively. 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 Auriga.
nebula is emitting energetic blue light which knocks electrons into more energetic orbits in the
hydrogen atoms that make up most the interstellar gas. When the electrons fall back to their original
orbit, red light is emitted (H-alpha). The region's purple color is a mix of this red light and blue light
emitted by the star which is reflected to us by surrounding dust. The two regions are referred to as
emission and reflection nebula, respectively. 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 Auriga.
This is the hydrogen-alpha image taken with a
ST10XME camera equipped with a H-alpha filter.
It has a very narrow bandwidth and provides a
lot of detail that is often not seen in color
images. Hydrogen-alpha is the wavelength of
light emitted when hydrogen atoms are excited
by star light. Total exposure was about 2 hours.
Click on the image for a larger view.
ST10XME camera equipped with a H-alpha filter.
It has a very narrow bandwidth and provides a
lot of detail that is often not seen in color
images. Hydrogen-alpha is the wavelength of
light emitted when hydrogen atoms are excited
by star light. Total exposure was about 2 hours.
Click on the image for a larger view.
This image of IC405 was taken with a Canon
20D digital camera which had been modified to
make it more sensitive to the red colors that
are often found in nebula. Although it does
not show as much detail as the above images,
it only represents about 1.5 hours of exposure
with a much less sensitive camera than the
ST10. Note that the orientation is different
than the H-alpha image. Also the imaging chip
is about 4 times as large as that in the ST10
thus providing a larger field of view.
20D digital camera which had been modified to
make it more sensitive to the red colors that
are often found in nebula. Although it does
not show as much detail as the above images,
it only represents about 1.5 hours of exposure
with a much less sensitive camera than the
ST10. Note that the orientation is different
than the H-alpha image. Also the imaging chip
is about 4 times as large as that in the ST10
thus providing a larger field of view.
The image shown above is a wide field image of the Flaming Star Nebula. The image
was taken with a modified Canon XSi equipped with a 200mm lens (18 x 3 minutes,
ISO 1600, f/3.5). Also shown in this image is IC410, the Tadpole Nebula. A closer
view of this nebula can be seen here.
was taken with a modified Canon XSi equipped with a 200mm lens (18 x 3 minutes,
ISO 1600, f/3.5). Also shown in this image is IC410, the Tadpole Nebula. A closer
view of this nebula can be seen here.
