Field Notes · Deep-Sky
Anatomy of the Flame
NGC 2024 beside Orion’s belt — glowing gas split by dark dust, on the Unistellar eQuinox 2
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What you're seeing
AlnitakThe belt star
The brilliant blue star at left is Alnitak, the easternmost star of Orion’s belt. Its fierce energy helps light the nebula — and its glare is what makes the Flame so hard to catch.
The GlowLit gas and dust
The warm glow is gas and dust energised by hot young stars hidden within the cloud, shining softly back at us.
The Dark RiftA curtain of dust
The dark lane carving down the middle is a thick curtain of cold dust in front of the glow. It splits the light into branches — and that is what makes the nebula look like flickering fire.
Hidden NewbornsA buried cluster
Tucked inside the dust is a cluster of very young stars, still wrapped in the cloud they formed from and only just beginning to break free.