IC 405 is commonly known as the Flaming Star Nebula^[1] and is also cataloged as Sharpless 2-229 and Caldwell 31.  It is comprised of a combination of both emission and reflection nebulae^[1].  This impressive object is approximately 1,500 light years from the Earth^[1] located in the constellation Auriga, the Charioteer.  The bright blue star near the center of the image is AE Aurigae^[1].  This star is a very hot O-type variable star^[2] and its intense radiation is the source illuminating the surrounding nebular structure^[2].  The star AE Aurigae was not formed in the IC 405 nebula^[2].  It is a rare runaway star that is traveling at a very high velocity through IC 405^[2,3].  Research indicates AE Aurigae was ejected from a multiple star system in the Orion Nebula Cluster approximately 3 million years ago^[3].  The violent event that is responsible for ejecting AE Aurigae is thought to be an encounter of 2 massive binary systems^[3].

The above image is orientated with north up and east to the left.  Image integration and processing were accomplished using PixInsight^TM and Photoshop^TM software applications.