NGC 2024, also known as the Flame Nebula, is a giant, reddish molecular cloud located on the edge of the constellation Orion about 1,500 light-years away from Earth. The red glow is a product of glowing, ionized hydrogen atoms. As the ionized atoms re-combine with electrons and glow as a result. Behind the dark clouded mass of interstellar dust in the center of the nebula, is a massive cluster of young stars that is likely to be the cause of the hydrogen atom ionization because of its extreme ultraviolet radiation, however, the cluster of stars can only be seen with infrared wavelengths.
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