The Flaming Star Nebula (IC 405, left) and the Tadpole Nebula (IC 410, right) form one of Auriga’s most dynamic emission-reflection pairings. IC 405 glows in deep hydrogen emission shaped by the powerful ultraviolet radiation of the runaway O-type star AE Aurigae. Its delicate blue tones come from reflected starlight scattering off fine dust, while the surrounding crimson gas creates sweeping filaments that look almost fluid as they drift across the field. To the right, IC 410 reveals a brighter, more compact core where newly formed stars energize surrounding hydrogen. Embedded dark lanes and sculpted billows of gas give the nebula its textured appearance.

Across the frame, both nebulae are set inside a richly glowing hydrogen complex threaded with faint dust. The contrast between the soft, wispy emission of IC 405 and the denser, more structured glow of IC 410 highlights two different stages of stellar feedback shaping the same interstellar cloud. Together they form a dramatic portrait of star formation, radiation, and the turbulent processes that continually reshape the Milky Way’s nearby star-forming regions.