IRAS 04000+5052: A Not So Compact, Not So Metal‐poor H ii Region

We present new observations of IRAS 04000+5052, a Galactic H ii region that is associated with a young stellar cluster and is possibly located in the Perseus arm. We have found that contrary to previous claims, this object is not a compact metal‐poor H ii region. The electron density and chemical composition of the nebula are similar to those of normal H ii regions of the Galactic disk. The radial velocity of the ionized gas coincides with that obtained from CO observations, indicating that the nebula is associated with a molecular cloud. Probably, the ionizing source of the H ii region is a Herbig Be star of spectral type B0.5.