NGC 2264 The Christmas Tree Cluster

The Christmas Tree Cluster:

NGC 2264 is best known as the Christmas Tree Cluster, a young open star cluster located about 2,600 light-years from Earth. The cluster gets its festive name from its triangular shape, which resembles a Christmas tree when viewed with the apex pointing upward. The brightest star, S Monocerotis (or 15 Monocerotis), sits at the top of the "tree."

The Cone Nebula:

Within NGC 2264 lies the famous Cone Nebula, a dark absorption nebula that appears as a cone-shaped pillar of gas and dust. It's located at the southern end of the cluster and is about 7 light-years long. The Cone Nebula is a stellar nursery where new stars are actively forming.

The Fox Fur Nebula:

The region also contains diffuse emission nebulosity sometimes called the Fox Fur Nebula, which surrounds the cluster stars and gives the area a reddish glow from ionized hydrogen gas.