The American space agency NASA has published a photograph of the star cluster NGC 2264, also known as the Christmas tree – in its appearance, the space object really resembles the symbol of the main winter holiday.
Image source: nasa.gov
The image was compiled from images taken by the Chandra X-ray space observatory and astrophotographer Michael Clow’s visible telescope. Fragments of the image presented in red, purple, blue and white are Chandra data; green and purple areas are from optical telescope images taken in November 2024.
Another name for NGC 2264 is the Snowflake Cluster. It was discovered in 1784 by William Herschel. A cluster of young stars between 1 million and 5 million years old is located approximately 2,500 light years from Earth and is observed in the constellation Monoceros. The picture shows blue and white lights surrounded by swirls of gas – a kind of “fir needles”, and the green color is a cloud of dust and gas visible in the optical range.