Explanation:
AE Aurigae is called the flaming star.
The surrounding nebula
IC 405 is named the
Flaming Star Nebula and the region seems to harbor smoke,
but there is no fire.
Fire,
typically defined as the rapid molecular acquisition of
oxygen,
happens only when sufficient oxygen is present and is not important
in such high-energy, low-oxygen environments.
The material that appears as
smoke is mostly
interstellar hydrogen,
but does contain smoke-like dark filaments of carbon-rich
dust grains.
The bright star
AE Aurigae, visible near the nebula center, is so hot it is blue,
emitting light so energetic it knocks
electrons away
from atoms in the surrounding gas.
When an atom recaptures an electron, light is emitted creating the
surrounding emission nebula.
In this cosmic portrait, the
Flaming
Star nebula lies about 1,500
light
years distant, spans about 5 light years,
and is visible with a small telescope toward the
constellation of
the
Charioteer (Auriga).
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