Fantastic cosmic montage

Check out this amazing image of the so-called Christmas Tree Cluster.

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The fantastic Christmas Tree Cluster

Can you spot the tree in this image? Pictured here are stars of the cluster NGC 2264, commonly referred to as the Christmas Tree Cluster. The faint outline of a Christmas tree surrounds the central variable star S Mon, which is immersed in a blue haze. At the base of the ‘tree’ is the Fox Fur Nebula, while the angel at the top is the Cone Nebula.

Found in the constellation Monoceros, commonly referred to as the unicorn constellation, this cosmic montage is located 2,700 light years from Earth and is a combination of emission nebulae and newborn stars.

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