Christmas Tree
Christmas tree is actually a nickname for NGC 2264 that officially identifies two astronomical objects: The Cone Nebula and the Christmas Tree Cluster. Unofficially other objects within this designation are: The Snowflake Cluster and the Fox Fur Nebula. No doubt something including a form of cone, Christmas and snowflakes is called a Christmas Tree by fellow astronomers and astro-photographers, who lack no imagination. All these nebulae and star clusters are located in the constellation Monoceros. For reference the Snowflake Cluster in the middle is 2700 light-years away from the Earth – not too much, but due to this region’s...
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