The Cone Nebula
A tall pillar of cold molecular gas and dust, about seven light-years long, sculpted by the radiation and winds of hot young stars in the NGC 2264 star-forming region in Monoceros. The Cone lies at the southern end of the same complex as the Christmas Tree Cluster, roughly 2,700 light-years away, and is a textbook example of a star-forming pillar.
Imagery
Space Science
Resembling a nightmarish beast rearing its head from a crimson sea, this monstrous object is actually an irnocuous pillar of gas and dust.
2002
NASA/Marshall · NASA media (public domain)
Highlights
- ›A seven-light-year pillar of gas sculpted by young stars
Examples & related concepts
Knowledge connections
- Associated withDark Nebula
- Associated withHII Region
- Associated withChristmas Tree Cluster
- Associated withMonoceros
- Associated withStar-Forming Regions
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.