Astronomy Picture of the Day |
APOD: 2008 December 25 - Fox Fur, a Unicorn, and a Christmas Tree
Explanation:
Clouds of glowing hydrogen gas fill
this colorful
skyscape in the faint but fanciful constellation
Monoceros,
the Unicorn.
A star forming region
cataloged as NGC 2264, the complex jumble of
cosmic gas and dust is about 2,700 light-years distant and
mixes reddish emission nebulae
excited by energetic light from
newborn stars with dark
interstellar dust clouds.
Where the otherwise obscuring dust clouds lie close
to the hot, young stars they also reflect starlight, forming blue
reflection nebulae.
The wide mosaic spans about 3/4 degree or nearly 1.5 full moons,
covering 40 light-years at the distance of NGC 2264.
Its cast of cosmic characters includes the
the Fox Fur Nebula, whose
convoluted pelt lies at the upper left, bright
variable star S Mon immersed in the blue-tinted haze
just below the Fox Fur, and the
Cone Nebula at the far right.
Of course, the stars of NGC 2264 are also known as the
Christmas Tree
star cluster.
The triangular tree shape traced by the stars appears sideways here,
with its apex at the Cone Nebula and its broader base
centered near S Mon.
APOD: 2008 November 23 - In the Vicinity of the Cone Nebula
Explanation:
Strange shapes and textures can be found in neighborhood
of the Cone Nebula.
The unusual shapes
originate from fine interstellar
dust reacting in
complex ways with the energetic light and
hot gas being expelled by the young stars.
The brightest star on the right of the
above picture is S Mon,
while the region just above it has been nicknamed the
Fox Fur Nebula for its color and structure.
The blue glow directly surrounding S Mon results from
reflection,
where neighboring dust reflects light from the bright star.
The orange glow
that encompasses the whole region results not only from
dust reflection but also emission from
hydrogen gas ionized by starlight.
S Mon
is part of a young
open cluster of stars named
NGC 2264, located about 2500 light years away toward the constellation of
Monoceros.
The origin of the mysterious geometric Cone Nebula, visible on the far left, remains a mystery.
APOD: 2008 April 22 - The Fox Fur Nebula from CFHT
Explanation:
This interstellar beast
is formed of cosmic dust and
gas interacting
with the energetic light and winds from hot young stars.
The shape, visual texture, and color, combine to give the region
the popular name
Fox Fur Nebula.
The characteristic blue glow on the left is dust reflecting light
from the bright star
S Mon,
just beyond the left edge of
the image.
Mottled pink and brown areas
are a combination of the cosmic dust and reddish emission from
ionized hydrogen gas.
S Mon is part of a young
open cluster of stars,
NGC 2264, located
about 2,500
light years away toward the
constellation of
Monoceros,
just north of the Cone Nebula.
APOD: 2007 May 9 - The Snowflake Cluster versus the Cone Nebula
Explanation:
Strange shapes and textures can be found in the neighborhood of the Cone Nebula.
These patterns result from the tumultuous unrest that accompanies the formation of the
open cluster of stars known as
NGC 2264, the
Snowflake cluster.
To better understand this process,
a detailed image of this region was taken in two colors of infrared light by the orbiting
Spitzer
Space Telescope.
Bright stars from the
Snowflake cluster dot the field.
These stars soon heat up and destroy the gas and
dust mountains in which they formed.
One such dust mountain is the famous Cone Nebula, visible in the
above image on the left, pointing toward a bright star near the center of the field.
The entire
NGC 2264 region is located about 2,500
light years away toward the constellation of the
Unicorn
(Monoceros).
APOD: 2007 April 12 - The Cone Nebula Neighborhood
Explanation:
Cosmic clouds of hydrogen gas and dust abound in
this
gorgeous skyscape,
stretching through
Monoceros in
the neighborhood of
The
Cone Nebula.
A dark, obscuring dust cloud, the simple, sculpted
shape of
the Cone Nebula is near the lower left edge.
Surrounded by the red glow of hydrogen gas, the cone
points up, toward bright, blue-white S Monocerotis, a quadruple
system of very massive, hot stars.
S Mon itself is also surrounded by
intriguing red emission nebulae
characteristic of star forming regions while
above and to the right of S Mon,
expansive dark markings on the sky
are silhouetted by a larger region of fainter
emission.
Yellowish open star cluster
Trumpler 5
is below picture center, with
the striking blue
reflection nebula, IC 2169
near the center right edge.
The curious compact cometary shape near the bottom edge is
Hubble's Variable Nebula.
Over 31 hours of exposure time went into this truly remarkable,
2.5 degree wide, color mosaic.
APOD: 2005 December 25 - The Mysterious Cone Nebula
Explanation:
Sometimes the simplest shapes are the hardest to explain.
For example, the origin of the mysterious
cone-shaped region
seen on the far left remains a mystery.
The interstellar formation, dubbed the
Cone Nebula, is located about 2700
light years away.
Other features in the image include red
emission from diffuse
interstellar hydrogen,
wispy filaments of dark dust, and
bright star
S Monocerotis, visible on the far right.
Blue reflection nebulae surround the brighter stars.
The dark
Cone Nebula region clearly contains much
dust which blocks light from the
emission nebula and open cluster
NGC 2264 behind it.
One hypothesis holds that the Cone Nebula is formed by
wind particles
from an energetic source blowing past the
Bok Globule at the head of the
cone.
APOD: 2005 March 14 - The Fox Fur Nebula
Explanation:
The nebula surrounding bright star S Mon
is filled with dark dust and glowing gas.
The strange shapes
originate from fine interstellar
dust reacting in
complex ways with the energetic light and
hot gas being expelled by the young stars.
The region just below
S Mon, the brightest star in the
above picture, is nicknamed the
Fox Fur Nebula for its color and texture.
The blue glow directly surrounding S Mon results from
reflection,
where neighboring dust reflects light from the bright star.
The more diffuse red glow results from
emission, where starlight
ionizes hydrogen gas.
Pink areas are lit by a combination of the two processes.
S Mon is part of a young
open cluster of stars named
NGC 2264, located about 2500
light years away toward the constellation of
Monoceros, just north of the
Cone Nebula.
APOD: 2004 May 29 - Cone Nebula Close Up
Explanation:
Cones, pillars, and majestic
flowing shapes abound in
stellar
nurseries where natal clouds of gas and dust are buffeted by
energetic winds from newborn stars.
A well-known example, the
Cone
Nebula within the bright
galactic star-forming region NGC 2264, was captured in
this close-up view
from the Hubble Space Telescope's
Advanced Camera for Surveys.
While the Cone Nebula,
about 2,500 light-years away
in Monoceros,
is around 7 light-years long,
the region pictured here
surrounding the cone's blunted head is a mere 2.5 light-years across.
In our neck
of the galaxy that distance
is just
over half way
from the Sun to its nearest stellar neighbor,
Alpha Centauri.
The massive star
NGC
2264 IRS, seen by Hubble's infrared camera
in 1997, is the likely source of the wind
sculpting the Cone Nebula and lies off the top of the image.
The Cone Nebula's reddish veil is
produced by glowing hydrogen gas.
APOD: 2003 May 12 - In the Vicinity of the Cone Nebula
Explanation:
Strange shapes and textures can be found in neighborhood
of the Cone Nebula.
The unusual shapes
originate from fine interstellar
dust reacting in
complex ways with the energetic light and
hot gas being expelled by the young stars.
The brightest star on the right of the
above picture is S Mon,
while the region just above it has been nicknamed the
Fox Fur Nebula for its color and structure.
The blue glow directly surrounding S Mon results from
reflection,
where neighboring dust reflects light from the bright star.
The orange glow that encompasses the whole region
results not only from
dust reflection but also emission from
hydrogen gas ionized by starlight.
S Mon is part of a young
open cluster of stars named
NGC 2264, located about 2500 light years away toward the constellation of
Monoceros.
The origin of the mysterious geometric Cone Nebula, visible on the far left, remains a mystery.
APOD: 2003 February 28 - Fox Fur, the Unicorn, and a Christmas Tree
Explanation:
Glowing hydrogen gas fills this gorgeously
detailed
sky view centered on
the variable star S Mon in the faint but fanciful constellation
Monoceros,
the Unicorn.
A star forming region (NGC 2264), the complex jumble of cosmic gas and
dust is about 2,700 light-years distant and
mixes reddish emission nebulae
excited by energetic light from
newborn
stars with dark interstellar dust clouds.
Where the otherwise obscuring dust clouds lie close
to stars they also reflect starlight, forming blue
reflection nebulae.
The wide vista spans about 1.5 degrees or nearly 3 full moons,
covering 70 light-years at the distance of NGC 2264.
Its cast of cosmic characters includes the
Cone Nebula (far left),
the Fox Fur Nebula, whose
convoluted pelt lies just
below S Mon, and the Christmas Tree star cluster.
The triangular Christmas
Tree cluster appears sideways here,
with its apex at the Cone Nebula and its broader base
centered on S Mon.
APOD: 2002 July 1 - The Fox Fur Nebula
Explanation:
The nebula surrounding bright star S Mon
is filled with dark dust and glowing gas.
The strange shapes
originate from fine interstellar
dust reacting in
complex ways with the energetic light and
hot gas being expelled by the young stars.
The region just below
S Mon, the bright star in the
above picture, is nicknamed the
Fox Fur Nebula for its color and texture.
The blue glow directly surrounding S Mon results from
reflection,
where neighboring dust reflects light from the bright star.
The more diffuse red glow results from
emission,
where starlight ionizes
hydrogen gas.
Pink areas are lit by a combination of the two processes.
S Mon is part of a young
open cluster of stars named
NGC 2264, located about 2500
light years away toward the constellation of
Monoceros, just
north of the
Cone Nebula.
APOD: 2002 May 3 - Cone Nebula Close Up
Explanation:
Cones, pillars, and majestic
flowing shapes abound in
stellar
nurseries where natal clouds of gas and dust are buffeted by
energetic winds from newborn stars.
A well-known example, the
Cone
Nebula within the bright
galactic star-forming region NGC 2264, was captured in
this close-up view
from the Hubble Space Telescope's
newest camera.
While the Cone Nebula,
about 2,500 light-years away
in Monoceros,
is around 7 light-years long,
the region pictured here
surrounding the cone's blunted head is a mere 2.5 light-years across.
In our neck
of the galaxy that distance
is just
over half way
from the Sun to its nearest stellar neighbor,
Alpha Centauri.
The massive star
NGC
2264 IRS, seen by Hubble's infrared camera
in 1997, is the likely source of the wind
sculpting the Cone Nebula and lies off the top of the image.
The Cone Nebula's reddish veil is
produced by glowing hydrogen gas.
APOD: 2002 January 7 - The Mysterious Cone Nebula
Explanation:
Sometimes the simplest shapes are the hardest to explain.
For example, the origin of the mysterious
cone-shaped region
seen on the far left remains a mystery.
The interstellar formation, dubbed the
Cone Nebula, is located about 2700
light years away.
Other features in the image include red
emission from diffuse
interstellar hydrogen,
wispy filaments of dark dust, and
bright star
S Monocerotis, visible on the far right.
Blue reflection nebulae surround the brighter stars.
The dark
Cone Nebula region clearly contains much
dust which blocks light from the
emission nebula and
open cluster
NGC 2264 behind it.
One hypothesis holds that the Cone Nebula is formed by
wind particles
from an energetic source blowing past the
Bok Globule at the head of the
cone.
APOD: 2001 December 28 - Starlight Reflections
Explanation:
Interstellar dust grains
often find themselves in a reflective "mood".
Near a bright star, clouds of these dust particles scatter
short wavelengths of visible starlight
more readily than
long wavelengths, producing lovely blue reflection nebulae.
Nine of the more spectacular examples of these dusty, blue
stellar
neighborhoods
have been assembled here by
astrophotographer
Rob Gendler.
From left to right starting with the top row are
NGC 1977 in Orion,
IC2118 (the Witch Head),
and M78 also in Orion.
Across the middle row are,
M20 (Trifid),
NGC 2264 in Monoceros,
and
IC405 (Flaming Star Nebula).
Along the bottom are
NGC 2023 (near
the Horsehead),
NGC 7023 (Iris Nebula),
and finally bright star Merope surrounded by
a veil of dust (NGC 1435).
Merope is one of the seven sisters of the Pleiades.
APOD: 2001 April 24 - NGC 2264: Stars, Dust, and Gas
Explanation:
The nebula surrounding bright star S Mon
is filled with dark dust and glowing gas.
The
strange shapes
that haunt this star forming region originate from
fine interstellar dust
reacting in
complex ways
to the energetic light and hot gas being
expelled by the young stars.
The
above picture, in
representative color,
isolates the northern part of a greater nebula designated
NGC 2264, which lies about 2500
light-years
away and includes the
Cone Nebula.
The blue glow directly surrounding
S Mon results from
reflection,
where neighboring dust reflects light from the bright star.
The more diffuse red glow results from
emission,
where starlight ionizes
hydrogen gas.
Pink areas are lit by a combination of the two processes.
A small group of stars surrounds
S Mon, the brightest star in the
picture and a star visible with the
naked eye toward the constellation of
Monoceros.
APOD: March 1, 1996 - A Mysterious Cone Nebula
Explanation:
Sometimes the simplest shapes are the hardest to explain. For example, the
origin of the mysterious cone-shaped region located just below the center
of the above picture remains a mystery. The dark region clearly contains
much
dust which blocks light from the
emission nebula and
open cluster NGC
2264 behind it.
One hypothesis holds that the
cone is formed by
wind
particles from an energetic source blowing past
the Bok globule at the head of the cone.