Merry Christmas! In keeping with the holiday, here is a fresh look at one of my favorite objects, the Christmas Tree Cluster, NGC 2264.
The Christmas Tree Cluster (30 min total exposure Apr 10, 2020)
The bright variable star S Monocerotis (near the bottom) marks the base of the Christmas tree and lights up the nearby bluish nebulosity. Note the mottled dark patches that obscure part of what is sometimes called the Fox Fur Nebula.
The dark Cone Nebula forms a rather strange ornament on the top of the tree.
The cluster, including its associated bright and dark nebulosity is located about 2600 light years away, meaning that the light we see now was produced well before the time of Christ whose birth we celebrate today.
You may recall that I previously shared a look at the Christmas Tree Cluster (click the link to see it). Today’s image is a longer exposure that better reveals the dark Cone Nebula as well as more of the bright nebulosity.