News From Sky Village
Astro Photo of the Month
February 2012
NGC 2024 – The Flame Nebula
by
Rick Beno
Despite its name, there is no fire roaring in the Flame nebula. What makes this nebula shine is the bright blue star just out of the view to the right of the central cloud. This star, Alnitak, is the easternmost star in Orion’s belt. Wind and radiation from Alnitak blasts away electrons from the gas in the Flame nebula, causing it to become ionized and glow as an emission nebula in visible light. The dark lanes are caused by intervening dust blocking our view of parts of the nebula.
The Flame Nebula is part of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex, a star-forming region that includes the famous Horsehead and Orion Nebulas.
Finding the Flame Nebula is about as easy as it gets. Seeing it is not quite as easy. This time of the year, you’ll find the constellation Orion to the south. Look for his belt, represented by three bright stars in a line. The eastern most of these three stars is Alnitak, or Zeta Orionis. Look just to the left, in the same binocular field, of Alnitak to find the flame. You’ll improve your odds of seeing the Flame Nebula if you move your view slightly more eastward, placing Alnitak just out of the field of view on the right.