AE Aurigae (AE Aur) is a runaway star in the constellation Auriga; it lights the Flaming Star Nebula.
AE Aurigae is a blue O-type main sequence dwarf with a mean apparent magnitude of +5.99. It is classified as an Orion type variable star and its brightness varies irregularly between magnitudes +5.78 and +6.08. It is approximately 1460 light-years from Earth. It is a runaway star that might have been ejected during a collision of two binary star groups. This collision, which also is credited with ejecting Mu Columbae and 53 Arietis, has been traced to the Trapezium cluster in the Orion Nebula two million years ago.
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