Reflections on VdB 31

Utilizing high within the constellation of Auriga, soft, blue VdB 31 is the 31st object in Sidney van den Bergh’s 1966 catalog of reflection nebulae. It shares this neatly-composed celestial level-headed lifestyles with dim, obscuring clouds B26, B27, and B28, recorded in Edward E. Barnard’s 1919 catalog of dim markings within the sky. All are these nebulae are interstellar dirt clouds. Barnard’s dim nebulae block the sunshine from background stars. For VdB 31 the dirt preferentially reflects bluish starlight from embedded, hot, variable neatly-known particular person AB Aurigae. Exploring the environs of AB Aurigae with the Hubble Scheme telescope has published the different million 365 days younger neatly-known particular person is itself surrounded by a flattened dusty disk with evidence for the continued formation of a planetary system. AB Aurigae is set 470 light-years away. At that distance this cosmic canvas would span about eight light-years.