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).
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
