NGC2264 esignates the Christmas Tree Cluster and the Cone Nebula in the constellation Monoceros (the Unicorn).
The Christmas Tree cluster is a group of bright stars that "decorate" the triangular "tree" with its base roughly in the center of this image.
The Cone Nebula can be seen in the circular nebulosity at the top of the Christmas Tree. Here is a closeup of the Cone imaged in 2005 with a different telescope and camera.
The Fox Fur Nebula also resides in this region, but is not officially part of NGC2264. It is just below the Christmas tree's bright base.
| Exposure |
• 16⅔ hours (100 X 10 minutes) @ -20°C • Dusk flats • Camera position angle: 102.9° |
| Processing |
• With PixInsight: ☞ Calibrate, star-align, and integrate subframes ☞ Background neutralization ☞ Histogram transformation ☞ Curves • Final tweaking in Photoshop CS6 |
| Date and Location |
• 2019: March 5 & 12 • 2021: January 13 & 14 • Louisa County, Virginia, USA |
|
Equipment |
• TMB-130SS APO refractor @ f/7 on an A-P 1200 mount • ZWO ASI-1600MC Pro color camera • Guided with an ST-402 camera on a 60mm f/5 scope • Imaging and autoguiding with MaxIm DL 6.20 • Automated image acquisition with ACP Observatory Control |
This region of the winter sky contains several beautiful deep-space objects in addition to the Christmas Tree Nebula pictured above.
Hover your mouse over a yellow arrow below to see the name of an object. Click on the arrow to see my image of it.
