Magnitude 5.998 Apparent magnitude (V) 5.998 | Constellation Auriga | |
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Similar IC 405, Mu Columbae, NGC 1893, 53 Arietis, Beta Aurigae | ||
AE Aurigae (AE Aur) is a runaway star in the constellation Auriga; it lights the Flaming Star Nebula.
Contents
Description
AE Aurigae is a blue O-type main sequence dwarf with a mean apparent magnitude of +6.0. It is classified as an Orion type variable star and its brightness varies irregularly between magnitudes +5.78 and +6.08. It is approximately 1,700 light-years from Earth.
AE Aur is a runaway star that might have been ejected during a collision of two binary star groups. This collision, which also is credited with ejecting Mu Columbae and possibly 53 Arietis, has been traced to the Trapezium cluster in the Orion Nebula two million years ago. The binary Iota Orionis may have been the other half of this collision.
AE Aur is seen to light up the Flaming Star nebula, but it was not formed within it. Instead it is passing through the nebula at high speed and producing a violent bow shock and high energy electromagnetic radiation.
Companions
AE Aur has a close 8th magnitude companion component B.
There is also a more distant companion HD 34042, sometimes called component C, which has a spectral type of A5.
