NASA recently released stunning photos of the Christmas Tree Cluster (NGC 2264), showcasing sparkling young stars that form the shape of a celestial tree. This phenomenon resembles a Christmas tree located 2,500 light-years away from Earth in our Milky Way galaxy.
The Christmas Tree Cluster consists of young stars ranging from 1 to 5 million years old. It includes stars with smaller masses than our Sun, as well as those with masses up to 7 times greater. NASA used the Chandra X-ray Observatory to combine multiple images and create the tree-like effect. The image displays a green-colored nebula representing “pine needles,” with stars visible in the foreground and background in infrared.
The rotated image presents the top of the tree pointing towards the top of the photo, resembling a traditional Christmas tree. NASA also shared an animation where the stars flicker like Christmas lights.
The Chandra X-ray Observatory is the most powerful X-ray telescope in the world. With its high resolution, it can detect sources that are even 20 times fainter than previously observed. Together with the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers have access to many beautiful space images.
Source: NASA
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