Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Auriga (Aur)  ·  Contains:  19 Aur  ·  HD242469  ·  HD242486  ·  HD242512  ·  HD242528  ·  HD242529  ·  HD242549  ·  HD242567  ·  HD242568  ·  HD242576  ·  HD242595  ·  HD242624  ·  HD242656  ·  HD242675  ·  HD242704  ·  HD242705  ·  HD242716  ·  HD242784  ·  HD242785  ·  HD242799  ·  HD242800  ·  HD242809  ·  HD242810  ·  HD242819  ·  HD242820  ·  HD242829  ·  HD242855  ·  HD242856  ·  HD242887  ·  HD242898  ·  And 115 more.
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The Tadpoles of IC 410, AaronW
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The Tadpoles of IC 410

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
The Tadpoles of IC 410, AaronW
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The Tadpoles of IC 410

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Description

Discovered in 1892 and lying some 12,000 light years away, this cosmic pond of gas and dust features two remarkable inhabitants: the Tadpoles of IC 410.  Partly obscured by foreground dust, the nebula itself surrounds NGC 1893, a young galactic cluster of stars.  Formed in an interstellar cloud a mere four million years ago (when hominids were already walking the earth!), this intensely hot star cluster energizes the surrounding glowing gas.  Composed of denser, cooler gas, the Tadpoles themselves are approximately 10 light years long (you could fly the length of our entire solar system 8,000 times before covering that much distance) and are likely sites of ongoing star formation.  They are moving away from the nebula's core, not towards it.  Surrounding it all is a richly dense field of hydrogen gas that cradles this nebula deep in the Auriga constellation.

Processed in the Hubble Palette using PixInsight.

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The Tadpoles of IC 410, AaronW