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This wispy cloud is some of the ionized hydrogen in the Flaming Star Nebula, IC 405, in Auriga. The brightest star in the image is AE Aurigae. That star's energetic output has excited the hydrogen gas around it, causing the hydrogen atoms to lose their electrons. When the hydrogen atoms gain their electrons back, they glow red at a certain wavelength, captured here. The star also shines in blue light, which is reflected in the surrounding nebula, as shown here, for instance. The moon was waning but 95% full when this image was taken.AE Aurigae is itself a very unusual star. It is a double star, but it is also moving very quickly through space. Astronomers have traced its motion backwards to find that it was ejected from in or near the Orion Trapezium Cluster in the far distant past.
Imaging Scope: Orion 80ED
Imager: Atik 16
Exposure: 37x4', or 148'
Filter: Astronomik 13nm Ha
Capture Software: Nebulosity 1
Mount: Takahashi EM-10
Guiding Camera: DSI Pro
Guiding Software: PHD
Guiding Scope: 60mm f/5
Date: Morning of 9-7-09
Location: The Woodlands, TX
Processed with Nebulosity 1, Photoshop Elements 7 with Carboni Actions
2 comments:
Excellent shot there! the B&W shot alone is very detailed.
Thanks, Phil. I was just happy I could see some of the nebula. Almost none of it showed up in the sub-frames. Then I was very surprised to see what appeared on processing. The detail was maintained in the B&W version by staying in 16-bits (unlike the color version).
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