About IC 431
IC 431 is an uncommon nebula. It sits in the constellation Ori.
A reflection nebula. It produces no light at all; it is dust catching the glare of a nearby star and scattering it back at us.
Uncommon nebula 24 EP
IC 431
RA 85.0585° · Dec -1.4628° · openngc
Score breakdown
· 3 badgesUncommon 34 pts → Rare
- Reflection nebula +10
- Nebula +8
- In Orion's hunting ground +6
Total score 24
10 more points to reach Rare.
Badges
- Nebula · +8
- Reflection nebula · +10
- In Orion's hunting ground · +6
Trivia
What it actually is
- What it actually is. A reflection nebula. It produces no light at all; it is dust catching the glare of a nearby star and scattering it back at us.
Find it in the sky
- Where to look. You'll find it in the constellation Orion.
- Seen from everywhere. It sits almost on the celestial equator, so it can be seen from essentially anywhere on Earth.
- Best time of year. It stands highest in the middle of the night around December — that's when to go looking.
Its true colour
- Its true colour. It looks blue for exactly the reason Earth's sky is blue: fine dust scatters short blue wavelengths far more efficiently than long red ones.
How we came to know it
- The Index Catalogue. The IC was the 1895 and 1908 supplement to the NGC — the first catalogue in history to be filled largely with objects found on photographic plates rather than by eye.
Properties
- constellation
- Ori
- dso type
- RfN
- name
- IC 431
- size arcmin
- 8
How to see it
Look for IC 431 in the constellation Ori.
Like any astronomical target, IC 431 is best seen from a dark site away from city lights, and when it is above the horizon depends on your latitude and the time of year. The visibility panel above works out tonight's viewing window for your saved location.
Why IC 431 is an uncommon nebula
IC 431 scores 24 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the uncommon tier. Another 10 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 3 science badges — Nebula, Reflection nebula and In Orion's hunting ground — each earned for a real, measurable property of the object. Rarity on Spacedle is never random: the more remarkable an object's astrophysics, the more badges it collects, the higher it scores, and the rarer it ranks.