2022 May 1
Observations of the Variable Star V347 Aurigae and its associated Reflection Nebula
Deep Sky Note #1
This article presents some CCD imaging observations I have made of the variable nebula associated with the variable star V347 Aurigae. In particular, I describe some measurements I’ve made on images to investigate the relative timings of changes in the brightness of the star and of its reflection nebula.
V347 Aurigae is a pre-main sequence variable star that is still embedded within its natal molecular cloud and appears to have formed in relative isolation, far from known star forming regions. V347 Aur lies within a small molecular cloud known as Lynd’s dark nebula (LDN) 1438 where no background stars are apparent. The faintly luminous curved edge of a reflection nebula is evident to the south and southeast of the star, approximately 10.5 arc seconds from the star. As part of the Deep Sky section observing programme of variable nebula I have been routinely imaging the star and its associated reflection nebula since the beginning of 2021 and Figure 1 is one such example image taken on 2021 February 9. The equipment used was an Atik 460EX CCD camera fitted to a Celestron C14 telescope operating at f7. No filters used. Total exposure time is 27 minutes and the field of view is approximately 19 by 15 arcminutes. North is up and East to the left.
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