VdB 31 is a reflection nebula, visible in the constellation Auriga. The nebula surrounds a seventh-magnitude star HD 31293 (or AB Aurigae). Close to VdB 31 there are dark nebulae, cataloged as B 26, B 27 and B 28 (see annotated mouseover), which mask the light of the stars coming from the regions behind the nebulous complex. AB Aurigae is a well known and intensely studied star because of its protoplanetary disk with a particularly complex structure, apparently organized in a spiral shape with two arms of the radius of more than 230 and 330 AU respectively. The distance to the star, and therefore also of the associated nebula structure is about 144 parsec(470 light years), a distance similar to that of the regions closest to Taurus dark cloud complex.