火焰星雲，正式名稱為ic 405，是位於禦夫座方向約1500光年的遠處，橫跨約5光年。用小型望遠鏡即可觀測到它。
漣漪狀的塵埃和雲氣絲，使這個星雲博得了“火焰星雲” (flaming star nebula)的美名。星雲中紅色和紫色得區域來自不同的物理過程；影像左方的亮星是禦夫座ae星，它是如此的熾熱，以致它發出的高能量星光把附近雲氣中氫原子裏的電子給撞了出來，當這個離子再次捕獲電子又復合成正常的原子時，常會伴隨着發出紅色的光。紫色區的色澤則是上述這種紅光和被塵埃反射的禦夫座ae星藍色星光之混合。這兩種色澤區域分別被稱為“發射星雲”和“反射星雲”。
rippling dust and gas lanes give the flaming star nebula its name. the red 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. 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 above, 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). |