Here is a birds-eye view of several DSOs located in the constellation Auriga.  While closeup images of these objects display gorgeous details (of which I have done several of them), this widefield view adds its own unique perspective on this area of space.  This widefield is certainly not new or unique, as there are many excellent examples of this FOV on AB; however, here is my take based on my limited hours of data collection (Note:  I got tired of fighting the clouds for color stars; this is less than half of my usual amount and had some thin clouds present.  If I find the time, I might redo them).

Constellation Auriga (The Charioteer)
The Constellation Auriga acquired its name because its major stars form a shape similar to that of the pointed helmet of a charioteer.  Auriga was first catalogued by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in his Almagest in the 2nd century CE.  It is a beautiful pentagon-shaped collection of stars that is situated just north of the celestial equator, being most prominent during winter evenings in the Northern Hemisphere.  




NGC1912/M38 
-an open star cluster around 3,480 light-years from Earth.  It contains around 100 stars and is estimated to be 290 million years old.  It has an apparent magnitude of 7.4, with a diameter of about 13 light-years.  Sometimes referred to as the Starfish Cluster (🤔).

NGC1907
-an open star cluster described as "experiencing a fly-by, having originated in different parts of the galaxy" to its close neighbor M38, is around 4,500 light-years from Earth.  It contains around 30 stars and is over 500 million years old. It has an apparent magnitude of 8.2.  

IC417 (Sh2-234)
 - an emission nebula that lies about 10,000 light-years away from Earth.  The glowing Ha center of the nebula is energized by a nursery of hot, massive blue stars embedded within it.   Its delicate, web-like structures evoke the image of a cosmic spider, inspiring its name, the Spider Nebula.  Unfortunately, its often-described companion nebula, Sh2-237 (NGC1931, the Fly N), is just out of the FOV, south of the Spider, as I could only have captured it had I lost part of the IC405.  

IC405
- the crowned jewel in this region, IC405 is an emission and reflection nebula located approximately 1,500 light-years away from Earth.   With an apparent magnitude of 6.0 and an apparent size of 37 by 10 arcminutes, it is one of the true gems of the winter night sky.  It was named the Flaming Star Nebula because it contains extensive smoke-like filaments that make AE Aurigae (a hot blue main sequence star 23X's the size of our sun) look like it is on fire in long-exposure photographs. The nebular material that looks like smoke is mostly composed of hydrogen, but the dark filaments are made up of carbon-rich dust.  However, in a wide field view like this with minimal hours, that is not so noticeable.  

IC410 
- an emission nebula located approximately 12,400 light-years away from Earth.  It is associated with the young open cluster NGC 1893 that has an apparent magnitude of 7.5 and an apparent size of 11 arcminutes.   IC 410 is ionized by five hot, blue, O-type massive stars, believed to be the main sources of ionization in the region, making the region glow.  The nebula is more than 100 light-years across.