" The Flame Nebula ", Don Curry

" The Flame Nebula "

" The Flame Nebula ", Don Curry

" The Flame Nebula "

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Description

The Flame Nebula, designated as NGC 2024 and Sh2-277, is an emission nebula in the constellation Orion. It is about 900 to 1,500 light-years away.

The bright starAlnitak (ζ Ori), the easternmost star in the Belt of Orion, shines energetic ultraviolet light into the Flame and this knocks electrons away from the great clouds of hydrogen gas that reside there. Much of the glow results when the electrons and ionized hydrogen recombine. Additional dark gas and dust lies in front of the bright part of the nebula and this is what causes the dark network that appears in the center of the glowing gas. The Flame Nebula is part of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex, a star-forming region that includes the famous Horsehead Nebula.

This is a cropped version from my previous post of The Horsehead Nebula showing in detail the flame nebula. Please click on the image to see the full resolution of the capture.

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Histogram

" The Flame Nebula ", Don Curry

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