Astrophotographer Greg Meyer has captured a magnificent view of the Flaming Star Nebula blazing in the night sky some 1,500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Auriga, the Charioteer.
Meyer's image appears to show a maelstrom of fire leaping away from the colossal star AE Aurigae, whose dramatic appearance has earned it the nickname of the "flaming star". In reality, the fiery glow is caused by radiation pouring out from the energetic star, which ionizes the surrounding hydrogen gas, stripping it of electrons and causing it to glow with its own light.
