IC 434 is a bright emission nebula in the equatorial constellation of Orion.

[2] The nebula is located at a distance of approximately 1,260 ly (385 pc) from the Sun and spans the interior of a neutral hydrogen shell with an angular size of 2° × 4°.

[2] This is an H II region that is being ionized by ultraviolet radiation from the nearby Sigma Orionis (σ Ori) multi-star system.

This H II region is one of the youngest to form around members of the Orion OB1 association of hot stars.

The primary driving energy behind this expanding shell was likely supplied by the blue supergiant Epsilon Orionis.