Rippling dust and gas lanes give the Flaming Star Nebula its name. The red and 
purple colors of the nebula are present in different regions and are created by 
different processes. The bright star AE Aurigae, visible toward the image right, 
is so hot it is blue, emitting light so energetic it knocks electrons away from 
surrounding gas. When a proton recaptures an electron, red light is frequently 
emitted. The purple region's color is a mix of this red light and blue light 
emitted by AE Aurigae but reflected to us by surrounding dust. The two regions 
are referred to as emission nebula and reflection nebula, respectively.

The bright blue star to the north of this image, AE Auriga, is the illuminating 
source for the faint nebulous region called the Flaming Star Nebula (IC 405). 
This dust and gas cloud is interesting in that it consists of glowing ionized 
gas overlaid by lanes of dust which are not energised, but instead reflect the 
light from AE Auriga in a bluish glow. AE Auriga is a rapidly moving star that 
originated in the Orion region and is only a 'passing visitor' to the IC 405 
dust and gas cloud. It is moving through this cloud constantly and in the 
future will leave it dark once more.