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AsteriaStar
Nebula · Auriga

Flaming Star Nebula

Deep skyC 31IC 405

Scientific overview

Flaming Star Nebula is a nebula in the constellation Auriga. It shines at apparent magnitude 10 and spans about 50 arcminutes of sky.

Observation guide

Difficulty
Medium telescope
Recommended equipment
≈ 150–200 mm telescope
Best observed
Winter (N. evening sky)
Best hemisphere
Northern

Guidance follows standard observing practice, derived from the object's real magnitude and position. A dark, moonless sky always helps.

Location in the sky

Constellation
Auriga
RA / Dec
5.2749h / 34.3562°
Hemisphere
Northern
Season
Winter

Precision measurements

Distances and velocities from SIMBAD · IC 405

Right ascension (ICRS)79.35 degSIMBAD · measured
Declination (ICRS)34.383333 degSIMBAD · measured
Full field-level provenance
  • Right ascension (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · ra · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Declination (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · dec · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11

Physical size is derived from the OpenNGC angular size and the catalogued distance (small-angle: size = angle × distance). This is a Galactic object: its Doppler shift is shown as a radial velocity, not a cosmological redshift. Fields a source did not provide are omitted, never invented.

ObjectTypeMagSize (′)
NGC 2281NGC 2281Open cluster5.410.8
M 37M 37 · NGC 2099Open cluster5.611.4
M 36M 36 · NGC 1960Open cluster67.2
M 38M 38 · NGC 1912Open cluster6.49.6
NGC 1857NGC 1857Open cluster74.5
NGC 1893NGC 1893Open cluster7.56
NGC 1664NGC 1664Open cluster7.611.4
NGC 1778NGC 1778Open cluster7.74.5

Sources

The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.

  • OpenNGCOpenNGC (M. Verga) — NGC/IC, Messier, and Caldwell catalogue data

    Openly-licensed deep-sky catalogue: object types, positions, magnitudes, sizes, morphology, and cross-identifiers.