The European Southern Observatory (ESO) has released an all-new image of the famous Cone Nebula to mark its 60th anniversary. This Digital Sky Survey (DSS) image shows the region of sky around the Cone Nebula. The region of nebula in the center of the image, NGC 2264, contains the Christmas Tree Cluster and the Cone Nebula visible below (ESO/DIGITIZED SKY SURVEY 2. NGC 2264 was discovered by William Herschel, the German-born British astronomer in 1785 who discovered Uranus in 1781. NGC 2264, also known as the “Christmas Tree Cluster,” is best seen in December from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Source: Forbes December 03, 2022 09:35 UTC