November 22, 2012

NGC 2264 and the Christmas Tree cluster


This colour image of the region known as NGC 2264 — an area of sky that includes the sparkling blue baubles of the Christmas Tree star cluster and the Cone Nebula — was created from data taken through four different filters (B, V, R and H-alpha) with the Wide Field Imager at ESO's La Silla Observatory, 2400 m high in the Atacama Desert of Chile in the foothills of the Andes. The image shows a region of space about 30 light-years across.

Image Credit: ESO
Explanation from: http://www.eso.org/public/images/eso0848a/

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