StormEffects
Nightscapes & Deep Sky Colors
Astrophotography © Brian A. Morganti
NGC 2264
The Cone Nebula & Christmas Tree Cluster
The Fox Fur Region
Monoceros
Mouse Over the above image for deep sky object identification
Fox Fur Region
The Cone
Nebula visible at the base of the red emission nebula is
just a small part of a vast star-forming region 2,600 light years
distant in the constellation of Monoceros.
Nascent stars lie buried
within the gas and dust forming the tip of this structure.
Eventually their light and stellar winds will erode the gas and
dust, and the new stars will burst forth and join their cosmic
siblings. The red glow arises
from clouds of hydrogen gas that are excited by the ultraviolet
light of nearby hot young stars.
Above the Cone Nebula near the center of the image is a loose triangular cluster of stars known as the Christmas Tree Cluster. Interstellar dust reflects light from the bright new born stars in the cluster, creating the characteristic blue glow of a reflection nebula also near the center of this image. Just to the right of S-Mon (the brightest star in the image) is the richly-textured Fox-Fur Nebula (see inset photo above) which is an area of hydrogen gas actively sculpted by the powerful stellar winds and radiation of the nearby stars.Mouse over the main image to locate the objects mentioned above. IMAGE DETAILS:
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Comparisons below from previous imaging sessions
IMAGE DETAILS - ABOVE LEFT:
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IMAGE DETAILS - ABOVE RIGHT:
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Astrophotography - Nightscapes & Deep Sky Colors