Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2020 December 26 [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available. Fox Fur, Unicorn, and Christmas Tree Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Miguel Claro ([5]TWAN, [6]Dark Sky Alqueva) Explanation: Clouds of glowing hydrogen gas fill this colorful skyscape in the faint but fanciful constellation [7]Monoceros, the Unicorn. A star forming region [8]cataloged as NGC 2264, the complex jumble of cosmic gas and dust is about 2,700 light-years distant and mixes reddish [9]emission nebulae excited by energetic light from newborn stars [10]with dark interstellar dust clouds. Where the otherwise obscuring dust clouds lie close to the hot, young stars they also reflect starlight, forming blue [11]reflection nebulae. The [12]telescopic image spans about 1.5 degrees or 3 full moons, covering nearly 80 light-years at the distance of NGC 2264. Its cast of cosmic characters includes the the [13]Fox Fur Nebula, whose dusty, convoluted pelt lies left of center, bright variable star S Monocerotis immersed in the blue-tinted haze near center, and the [14]Cone Nebula pointing in from the right side of the frame. Of course, the stars [15]of NGC 2264 are also known as the Christmas Tree star cluster. The triangular tree shape is seen on its side here. Traced by brighter stars it has its apex at the Cone Nebula. The tree's broader base is centered near [16]S Monocerotis. Tomorrow's picture: pixel in space __________________________________________________________________ [17]< | [18]Archive | [19]Submissions | [20]Index | [21]Search | [22]Calendar | [23]RSS | [24]Education | [25]About APOD | [26]Discuss | [27]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [28]Robert Nemiroff ([29]MTU) & [30]Jerry Bonnell ([31]UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman [32]Specific rights apply. [33]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [34]ASD at [35]NASA / [36]GSFC & [37]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2012/ChristmasTree-ConeNebula-CumeadaObservatoryDSA-net.jpg 3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 4. http://www.miguelclaro.com/wp/ 5. http://www.twanight.org/claro 6. http://www.darkskyalqueva.com/ 7. http://www.hawastsoc.org/deepsky/mon/index.html 8. http://messier.seds.org/xtra/ngc/n2264.html 9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap051223.html 10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190202.html 11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap181231.html 12. https://www.miguelclaro.com/wp/portfolio/christmas-tree-and-cone-nebula-in-a-colorful-cloud-of-glowing-gas/ 13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap151230.html 14. http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album/nebula/pr2002011b/ 15. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/2416-sig05-028b-Spitzer-IRAC-View-of-NGC-2264 16. http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/15mon.html 17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap201225.html 18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 21. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss 24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 26. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=201226 27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap201227.html 28. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 29. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 30. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 31. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 33. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 34. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 35. https://www.nasa.gov/ 36. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 37. http://www.mtu.edu/