IC 410, commonly known as the Tadpole Nebula, is a sprawling emission nebula located about 12,000 light years away in the constellation Auriga. The scene is dominated by glowing hydrogen gas energized by intense ultraviolet radiation from the young open star cluster NGC 1893 embedded within it. These massive, hot stars carve cavities into the surrounding cloud, illuminating intricate filaments of gas while leaving behind dense, opaque pockets of dust that appear as dark silhouettes against the luminous background.
The nebula’s most distinctive features are the elongated structures nicknamed the Tadpoles, pillars of cold gas and dust stretching several light years in length. These formations are shaped by stellar winds and radiation, slowly eroding their outer layers while potentially sheltering new generations of stars within their dense cores. Captured from Galveston, Texas, this image highlights the balance between stellar creation and destruction that defines active star forming regions across the Milky Way.
IC 410, commonly known as the Tadpole Nebula, is a sprawling emission nebula located about 12,000 light years away in the constellation Auriga. The scene is dominated by glowing hydrogen gas energized by intense ultraviolet radiation from the young open star cluster NGC 1893 embedded within it. These massive, hot stars carve cavities into the surrounding cloud, illuminating intricate filaments of gas while leaving behind dense, opaque pockets of dust that appear as dark silhouettes against the luminous background.
The nebula’s most distinctive features are the elongated structures nicknamed the Tadpoles, pillars of cold gas and dust stretching several light years in length. These formations are shaped by stellar winds and radiation, slowly eroding their outer layers while potentially sheltering new generations of stars within their dense cores. Captured from Galveston, Texas, this image highlights the balance between stellar creation and destruction that defines active star forming regions across the Milky Way.