IC 410 is a cosmic cloud that looks like tadpoles swimming through the cosmos

Images of the Tadpole Nebula, IC 410, and facts about this star-forming region.

By Iain Todd

Published: Wednesday, 28 August 2024 at 12:31 PM

IC 410 is located 12,000 lightyears from Earth in the Auriga constellation, and is nicknamed the Tadpole Nebula because of the tadpole-shaped clouds of dark dust that appear to be swimming towards the centre.

The Tadpole Nebula is a region of ionised hydrogen gas spanning over 100 lightyears across that’s carved and sculpted by streams of charged particles called stellar winds emanating from open star cluster NGC 1893.

NGC 1893 is about 4 million years old: the blink of an eye in cosmic terms.

The ‘tadpoles’ that give the nebula its nickname are dense streams of dust and gas about 10 lightyears long that may well be sites of star formation.

Below is a selection of images of IC 410, the Tadpole Nebula, captured by astrophotographers and BBC Sky at Night Magazine readers.

For help with photographing nebulae, read our guide to deep-sky astrophotography and our tutorial on deep-sky image processing.

And don’t forget to send us your images or share them with us via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Pictures of the Tadpole Nebula

Our pick of the best images of the Tadpole Nebula captured by readers of BBC Sky at Night Magazine.

The Tadpole NebulaHannah Rochford, Bruton, Somerset, 20–28 March 2022 Equipment: ZWO ASI2600MM camera, Sky-Watcher Evostar 80ED refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro mount
The Flaming Star & Tadpole Nebulae Nick Perkins, Evercreech, Somerset, 21–26 March 2022 Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM Pro camera, William Optics RedCat51 refractor, Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro mount
IC 405, the Flaming Star Nebula Greg Meyer, Phoenix, Arizona, USA, 12-15 November 2023 Equipment: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro mono CMOS camera, Radian Raptor 61 triplet apo refractor, ZWO AM5 mount
IC 405, the Flaming Star NebulaGreg Meyer, Phoenix, Arizona, USA, 12-15 November 2023Equipment: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro mono CMOS camera, Radian Raptor 61 triplet apo refractor, ZWO AM5 mount
The Flaming Star & Tadpole Nebulae Kevin Earp, Willington, Bedford, February –March 2022 Equipment: ZWO ASI294MC Pro camera, Sky-Watcher Esprit 100ED refractor, Sky-Watcher NEQ6 Pro mount
Flaming Star & Tadpole Nebulae David Pickles, Rushden, Northamptonshire, 22, 23 & 25 March 2020 Equipment: ZWO ASI 071MC Pro colour camera, Altair Wave 115ED triplet apo refractor, Sky-Watcher NEQ6 mount
Flaming Star and Tadpole Nebulae Tom Wildoner, Pennsylvania, USA, 25 November 2019 Equipment: ZWO ASI071MC-Pro colour camera, William Optics RedCat 51 apo refractor, Celestron CGEM DX mount
Flaming Star and Tadpole Nebulae Tom Wildoner, Pennsylvania, USA, 25 November 2019Equipment: ZWO ASI071MC-Pro colour camera, William Optics RedCat 51 apo refractor, Celestron CGEM DX mount
Tadpole and Flaming Star Nebulae (IC 410 & 405) by Gábor Szendrñi, Kendig, Hungary. Equipment: GPU 100/635 apochromatic refractor, Riccardi 0.75x reducer/flattener, modified Canon EOS 700D.
IC410 Tadpole Nebula by Mark Griffith, Swindon, UK. Equipment: Teleskop service 12" Richey-Chretien telescope, Skywatcher EQ8 mount, Atik 383L camera, Astronomik Sii, Ha, Oiii filters, Astro physics 0.67 reducer.
IC410 Tadpole Nebula by Mark Griffith, Swindon, UK. Equipment: Teleskop service 12″ Richey-Chretien telescope, Skywatcher EQ8 mount, Atik 383L camera, Astronomik Sii, Ha, Oiii filters, Astro physics 0.67 reducer.
Nebulae of Auriga by David Slack, Prudhoe, Northumberland, UK. Equipment: Canon 1100D DSLR, SXV-H9 CCD camera, Revelation ED66 refractor, Tamron 55-200mm zoom lens, Baader 7nm Ha filter, Astronomik 12nm Ha clip filter, Astronomik CLS clip filter, HEQ5 pro mount
Nebulae of Auriga by David Slack, Prudhoe, Northumberland, UK. Equipment: Canon 1100D DSLR, SXV-H9 CCD camera, Revelation ED66 refractor, Tamron 55-200mm zoom lens, Baader 7nm Ha filter, Astronomik 12nm Ha clip filter, Astronomik CLS clip filter, HEQ5 pro mount
IC410 and Flaming Star Nebulas by Chris Heapy, Macclesfield, UK.
IC410 and Flaming Star Nebulas by Chris Heapy, Macclesfield, UK. Equipment: Televue NP127is, Moravian G4-16000, Chroma 3nM Ha, OIII and SII, 10-Micron GM2000HPS-II
IC410 Tadpole Nebula by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: Teleskop service 12" Richey-Chretien telescope, Skywatcher EQ8 mount, Atik 383L camera, Astronomik Sii, Ha, Oiii filters, Astro physics 0.67 reducer.
IC410 Tadpole Nebula by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: Teleskop service 12″ Richey-Chretien telescope, Skywatcher EQ8 mount, Atik 383L camera, Astronomik Sii, Ha, Oiii filters, Astro physics 0.67 reducer.
Intergalactic Crocodile departing for Auriga by Paul C Swift, Valencia, Spain. Equipment: Vixen VSD, Starlight Express SXVR-H18, Sky-Watcher MX, Vixen VSD, sx loadstar, Baader Ha, OIII & SII, Starlight Xpress USB filter wheel, Baader Planetarium 36mm narrowband filters
IC410 Tadpole Nebula by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: Teleskop service 12" Richey-Chretien telescope, Skywatcher EQ8 mount,Atik 383L camera, Astronomik Sii, Ha, Oiii filters, Astro physics 0.67 reducer.
IC410 Tadpole Nebula by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: Teleskop service 12″ Richey-Chretien telescope, Skywatcher EQ8 mount,Atik 383L camera, Astronomik Sii, Ha, Oiii filters, Astro physics 0.67 reducer.
The Tadpoles Nebula by Chris Grimmer, Seething, Norfolk, UK. Equipment: William Optic GT81 Triplet, SXVR H694 Mono CCD with Baader Narrowband Filters, Ioptron CEM60 mount
The Tadpoles Nebula by Chris Grimmer, Seething, Norfolk, UK. Equipment: William Optic GT81 Triplet, SXVR H694 Mono CCD with Baader Narrowband Filters, Ioptron CEM60 mount
IC410 Tadpole Nebula by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: Celestron C11 Sct, Skywatcher NEQ6 pro mount,Atik 383L camera, motorised filter wheel and Astronomik filters. F6.3 focal reducer.
IC410 Tadpole Nebula by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: Celestron C11 Sct, Skywatcher NEQ6 pro mount,Atik 383L camera, motorised filter wheel and Astronomik filters. F6.3 focal reducer.
IC410 by Chris Heapy, Macclesfield, UK. Equipment: TeleVue NP127is, Losmandy G11 equatorial mount, TV Pronto, SX Lodestar, Atik490EX.
IC410 by Chris Heapy, Macclesfield, UK. Equipment: TeleVue NP127is, Losmandy G11 equatorial mount, TV Pronto, SX Lodestar, Atik490EX.
IC410 Tadpole Nebula by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: GSO 8" Richey-Chretien Optical tube, Skywatcher NEQ6 pro mount,Atik 383L camera, motorised filter wheel and Astronomik filters.
IC410 Tadpole Nebula by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: GSO 8″ Richey-Chretien Optical tube, Skywatcher NEQ6 pro mount,Atik 383L camera, motorised filter wheel and Astronomik filters.
IC410 Tadpole Nebula by Steve Wilson, Middlesbrough, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher ED80, Atik 314l , Xagyl 5-filter wheel with Astronomik 7nm Ha and Baader RGB filters
IC410 Tadpole Nebula by Steve Wilson, Middlesbrough, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher ED80, Atik 314l , Xagyl 5-filter wheel with Astronomik 7nm Ha and Baader RGB filters
IC 410 Tadpoles by Ian Russell, Sutton Courtenay, UK. Equipment: Takahashi FSQ-85ED, TS90APO, Atik 460 ex mono, Baader 2" filters,Atik OAG, IMG0H, PHD, Celestron CG-5GT
IC 410 Tadpoles by Ian Russell, Sutton Courtenay, UK. Equipment: Takahashi FSQ-85ED, TS90APO, Atik 460 ex mono, Baader 2″ filters,Atik OAG, IMG0H, PHD, Celestron CG-5GT
IC410 by Roger B, Whitstable, UK. Equipment: GSO 8" f4 Astrograph, EQ6 via EQMod, SXVH9, Baader 7nm Ha filter, Ts9mm OAG
IC410 by Roger B, Whitstable, UK. Equipment: GSO 8″ f4 Astrograph, EQ6 via EQMod, SXVH9, Baader 7nm Ha filter, Ts9mm OAG
Tadpole Nebula by Andy Jensen, Battisford, Suffolk, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher 120mm ED Refactor, Atik 383l CCD, 7nm Ha Filter, NEQ 6 Mount
Tadpole Nebula by Andy Jensen, Battisford, Suffolk, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher 120mm ED Refactor, Atik 383l CCD, 7nm Ha Filter, NEQ 6 Mount