I took a year off astrophotography, and this was my first image when I restarted. It certainly inspired me to continue. To date this is the only image I've had printed, and to be honest it was a bit underwhelming in A4 print format.
NGC 2264 is the designation number of the
New General Catalogue that identifies two
astronomical objects as a single object: the
Cone Nebula, and the Christmas Tree Cluster. Two other objects are within this designation but not officially included, the
Snowflake Cluster,
[3][4] and the
Fox Fur Nebula. All of the objects are located in the
Monoceros constellation and are located about 720
parsecs or 2,300
light-years from
Earth. Due to its relative proximity and large size, it is extremely well studied. NGC 2264 is sometimes referred to as the Christmas Tree Cluster and the
Cone Nebula. However, the designation of NGC 2264 in the
New General Catalogue refers to both objects and not the cluster alone. In December 2023, NASA released Christmas holiday-related images by the
James Webb Space Telescope, including the Christmas Tree Galaxy Cluster and others.=10.5px (wikipedia)Structure
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