#constellation auriga

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So many stars it’s overwhelming🌌

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(NASA)  Reflections on vdB 31

Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block, Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter, U. Arizona

Riding high in the constellation of Auriga, beautiful, blue vdB 31 is the 31st object in Sidney van den Bergh's 1966 catalog of reflection nebulae. It shares this well-composed celestial still life with dark, obscuring clouds recorded in Edward E. Barnard's 1919 catalog of dark markings in the sky. All are interstellar dust clouds, blocking the light from background stars in the case of Barnard's dark nebulae. For vdB 31, the dust preferentially reflects the bluish starlight from embedded, hot, variable star AB Aurigae. Exploring the environs of AB Aurigae with the Hubble Space Telescope has revealed the several million year young star is itself surrounded by a flattened dusty disk with evidence for the ongoing formation of a planetary system. AB Aurigae is about 470 light-years away. At that distance. this cosmic canvas would span about four light-years.

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IC 410

IC 410 is an emission nebula located about 12,000 light years away towards the constellation Auriga. The nebula is over 100 light years across, illuminated by star cluster NGC 1893.

The stars of NGC 1893 are only about 4 million years old. Stellar winds and radiation from the cluster sculpt and energize surrounding clouds of dust and gas, shaping the nebula and causing it to glow. The “tadpoles” of IC 410, to the right and below the center of this image, are composed of cooler material and may be sites for star formation.

Image and information from NASA, information from NASA.

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AE Aurigae

AE Aurigae is a bright star located within the Flaming Star Nebula, IC 405. The nebula is located about 1,500 light years away towards the constellation Auriga, the Charioteer. It is about 5 light years across.

AE Aurigae emits strong enough light to strip electrons from nearby atoms. When the electrons recombine with their protons, they emit light in the color characteristic of their element and create a bright emission nebula. The nebula also contains clouds of hydrogen gas laced with thick carbon dust.

Image and information from NASA.

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(NASA)  Downtown Auriga

Image Credit & Copyright: Rogelio Bernal Andreo (Deep Sky Colors)

Rich in star clusters and nebulae, the ancient constellation of Auriga, the Charioteer, rides high in northern winter night skies. Spanning nearly 24 full moons (12 degrees) on the sky, this deep telescopic mosaic view recorded in January, 2014, shows off some of Auriga's most popular sights for cosmic tourists. The crowded field sweeps along the plane of our Milky Way galaxy in the direction opposite the galactic center. Need directions? Near the bottom of the frame, at the Charioteer's boundary with Taurus the Bull, the bright bluish star Elnath is known as both Beta Tauri and Gamma Aurigae. On the far left and almost 3000 light-years away, the busy, looping filaments of supernova remnant Simeis 147 cover about 150 light-years. Look toward the right to find emission nebula IC 410, significantly more distant, some 12,000 light-years away. Star forming IC 410 is famous for its embedded young star cluster, NGC 1893, and tadpole-shaped clouds of dust and gas. The Flaming Star Nebula, IC 405, is just a little farther along. Its red, convoluted clouds of glowing hydrogen gas are energized by hot O-type star AE Aurigae. Two of our galaxy's open star clusters, Charles Messier's M36 and M38 line up in the starfield above, familiar to many binocular-equipped skygazers.

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(NASA)  Nebulae in Auriga Image Credit & Copyright: Fritz Helmut Hemmerich

Rich in star clusters and nebulae, the ancient constellation of the Charioteer (Auriga) rides high in northern winter night skies. Composed from narrow and broadband filter data and spanning nearly 8 Full Moons (4 degrees) on the sky, this deep telescopic view shows off some of Auriga's celestial bounty. The field includes emission region IC 405 (top left) about 1,500 light-years distant. Also known as the Flaming Star Nebula, its red, convoluted clouds of glowing hydrogen gas are energized by hot O-type star AE Aurigae. IC 410 (top right) is significantly more distant, some 12,000 light-years away. The star forming region is famous for its embedded young star cluster, NGC 1893, and tadpole-shaped clouds of dust and gas. IC 417 and NGC 1931 at the lower right, the Spider and the Fly, are also young star clusters embedded in natal clouds that lie far beyond IC 405. Star cluster NGC 1907 is near the bottom edge of the frame, just right of center. The crowded field of view looks along the plane of our Milky Way galaxy, near the direction of the galactic anticenter.

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Constellation Construction  Credit & Copyright: Jerry Lodriguss (Catching the Light)

Explanation: This lovely twilight scene, recorded last April, finds a young crescent Moon low in the west at sunset. Above it, stars shine in the darkening sky but they too are soon to drop below the western horizon. These stars and constellations are prominent in the northern hemisphere winter sky and as the season changes, slowly give way to the stars of summer. Sliding your mouse over the picture will detail the constellations and stars in view, including Orion, Gemini, Auriga, Perseus, and the Hyades and Pleiades star clusters.