Multimedia Gallery
The star AE Aurigae
The star AE Aurigae
This spectacular image of the star AE Aurigae and its surrounding nebulosity was taken at the National Science Foundation's 0.9-meter telescope on Kitt Peak with the NOAO Mosaic CCD camera. Located in the constellation of Auriga, the Charioteer, AE Aurigae is the bright blue star at the center of the image. The incredible energy from this hot, massive star is energizing the surrounding gas, causing it to glow dramatically. As a result it is also known as "the flaming star". This false-color image was created by combining emission-line images taken in Hydrogen-alpha (yellow), Oxygen [OIII] (violet) and Sulfur [SII] (blue).
Credit: Credit: T. A. Rector and B. A. Wolpa; NOAO/AURA/NSF
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