IC 405 410 417

Monday , 17, February 2020 Leave a comment
IC 405 410 417 SHO Version

For a full size image click here.

Distance: IC 405 1,500 Light Years
Distance: IC 410 12,000 Light Years
Distance: IC 417 10,000 Light Years

Magnitude: IC 405 9
Magnitude: IC 410 7.5
Magnitude: IC 417 6.0

Size: IC 405 30×20 Arc Minutes
Size: IC 410 55×45 Arc Minutes
Size: IC 417 14×10 Arc Minutes

Telescope: Borg 71

Camera: QSI683

Mount: AP1100

Exposures: SII 19×900, Ha 37×900, OIII 19×900

This image was captured from my house in a Bortle 6/7 zone.

Emission nebula IC 410 is illuminated by a young and bright star cluster called NGC 1893. To find it in my image just follow the tadpoles, they appear to be swimming right to it. The Tadpoles are star formation areas each having their own designations as Sim 129 and Sim 130. They get their shape from very hot and young stars blasting out ultraviolet radiation and shaping the surrounding gas to appear like tadpoles. The stars inside are very young, about one million years old, and are about 10x the size of our own sun. This cluster is very young at about 4 million years old and contains several hundred stars. There are also a few dark nebula nearby. It is these dark nebula that give the nebula what appears to be ears, eyes, and a mouth that resemble a profile of a monkeys head.  (I think the overall nebula looks like the profile of a monkey head but there is already another nebula with this name).

IC 405, also known as the Flaming Star Nebula, is a combination of emission and reflection nebula in the constellation of Auriga. It is the long nebula on the left side of my image. The star AE Aurigae is surrounded by gas and appears to be on fire hence the nickname. It is also the star that is ionizing the surrounding gas creating the emission part of the nebula. The light from this same star also reflects off the surrounding dust creating the reflection part of the nebula. It is thought that this star was originally part of the Trapezium cluster inside of the Orion Nebula and it is moving away at 62 miles per second.

IC 417, The Spider Nebula, is shown in the lower right of my image. It is a small emission nebula. Its light source is a star cluster known as Stock 8 which is shaping the gas and dust in the area. There are about 40 young hot stars in this cluster.

NGC 1931, the Fly Nebula, is also in the lower right of my image. It is an emission and reflection nebula.

Below is an Ha version:

Exposures: Ha 37×900

IC 405 410 417 Ha Version

For a full size image click here.

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