Experience some extra holiday sparkle by gazing at the night sky. NASA has recently unveiled a captivating image of a celestial Christmas tree that is truly extraordinary.
The picture showcases NGC 2264, a grouping of youthful stars that beautifully mimics the shape of a Christmas tree, adorned with blue and white ornaments and lush green pine needles. Recognized as the “Christmas Tree Cluster,” this cosmic spectacle resides approximately 2,500 light-years away from our planet.
Crafted by combining data from various telescopes, the image captures X-rays emitted by the blue and white stars, as detected by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. The green nebula enveloping the cluster was observed using the WIYN 0.9-meter telescope on Kitt Peak, supported by the National Science Foundation. Additionally, the white stars, both foreground and background, hail from the Two Micron All Sky Survey, utilizing infrared light to map the entire sky.
To enhance the visual presentation, the image has been rotated approximately 160 degrees clockwise, orienting the tree’s top toward the image’s top—a departure from astronomers’ typical north-facing orientation.
The stars within the Christmas tree cluster are remarkably young, ranging from 1 to 5 million years old. Some are diminutive, merely one-tenth the size of our sun, while others are colossal, surpassing our sun’s size by several times. Unlike older stars nearing the end of their life cycles, these youthful stars have a lengthy existence ahead of them.
Regrettably, the Christmas tree cluster is too faint for naked-eye observation. Nevertheless, you can still revel in celestial festivities with the Ursid meteor shower, peaking on December 23 and 24, producing up to 10 shooting stars per hour in the Northern Hemisphere. Discover how to witness this meteoric display and make your holiday celebrations truly cosmic
