Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Auriga (Aur)  ·  Contains:  B26  ·  B27  ·  B28  ·  LBN 798  ·  LDN 1513  ·  LDN 1515  ·  LDN 1517  ·  LDN 1519  ·  VdB31
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vdB 31, Gary Imm
vdB 31, Gary Imm

vdB 31

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
vdB 31, Gary Imm
vdB 31, Gary Imm

vdB 31

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Description

This image captures a reflection nebula and several dark nebulae located 500 light years away in the constellation of Auriga at a declination of +31 degrees. This view spans almost 5 light years.  The reflection nebula is vdB 31, the 31st object in Sidney van den Bergh's 1966 catalog of reflection nebulae.

The nebula is reflecting the light of the 7th magnitude bright blue star AB Aurigae. vdB 31 is made even more lovely by the contrasting orangish reflection nebula of the 9th magnitude star immediately above and to the left, SU Aurigae.  Wispy small bright nebulae envelop both AB Aurigae and SU Aurigae. These nebulae are believed to be circumstellar protoplanetary disks around these two fairly young stars. Planet formation is suspected in these disks, but no planets have been confirmed yet. 

The dark nebulae are B26, B27 and B28, from Edward E. Barnard's 1919 catalog of dark nebulae. The dark and reflection nebulae are due to the extensive interstellar dust clouds in this region of the sky.

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