Which star is responsible for illuminating the hydrogen gas in the Flame Nebula (NGC 2024)?
Answer
Alnitak, the easternmost star of the Belt.
Alnitak, located on the eastern side of the asterism, provides the necessary energy by ionizing the surrounding hydrogen gas, causing it to glow brightly.
Related Questions
What physical relationship exists between the three stars forming Orion's Belt?Which star is responsible for illuminating the hydrogen gas in the Flame Nebula (NGC 2024)?What fundamentally distinguishes a dark nebula from a bright nebula like the Flame Nebula?What specific advantage do radio observations, such as those from the Green Bank Telescope, offer over optical views of the Orion region?What is the likely cause of rapidly changing, multi-colored lights reported near Orion's Belt by amateur observers?How large is the Flame Nebula physically, compared to its apparent angular size in the sky?What practical stargazing technique utilizes the higher sensitivity of the eye's peripheral vision for observing faint nebulae?Where is the Horsehead Nebula positioned relative to one of the Belt stars?What is the approximate magnitude classification of the primary stars in Orion's Belt?What characteristic is responsible for the dark patches within the Flame Nebula?