Astronomy Picture of the Day 5-12-03

NASA ^ | 5-12-03 | Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell

[petuniasevan]

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2003 May 12

In the Vicinity of the Cone Nebula
Credit & Copyright: T. A. Rector (NRAO), NOAO, AURA, NSF

Explanation: Strange shapes and textures can be found in neighborhood of the Cone Nebula. The unusual shapes originate from fine interstellar dust reacting in complex ways with the energetic light and hot gas being expelled by the young stars. The brightest star on the right of the above picture is S Mon, while the region just above it has been nicknamed the Fox Fur Nebula for its color and structure. The blue glow directly surrounding S Mon results from reflection, where neighboring dust reflects light from the bright star. The orange glow that encompasses the whole region results not only from dust reflection but also emission from hydrogen gas ionized by starlight. S Mon is part of a young open cluster of stars named NGC 2264, located about 2500 light years away toward the constellation of Monoceros. The origin of the mysterious geometric Cone Nebula, visible on the far left, remains a mystery.

[petuniasevan]

Sometimes I've just got to sit back and enjoy. So here's some more images of that region.

Hubble's newest camera got this amazing close-up portrait of the tip of the Cone Nebula.

Amateur astrophoto of the Cone Nebula/NGC 2264 region.

Anglo-Australian Telescope image of the Fox Fur Nebula.

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The Cone Nebula and NGC 2264 (The Christmas Tree Cluster)

Right Ascension	06 : 41.1 (h:m)
Declination	+09 : 53 (deg:m)
Distance	2.4 (kly)
Visual Brightnes	3.9 (mag)
Apparent Dimension	20.0 (arc min)

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Look for the object marked "Christmas Tree Cluster" on the map between Procyon in Canis Minor and Betelgeuse in Orion.

[petuniasevan]

[petuniasevan]

Vacation Announcement

I will be on vacation from June 2nd through June 9th.
If anyone would like to volunteer to post APOD during that time, please FReepmail me.
Otherwise the APOD will not be posted as I will be visiting relatives in California.

[cardinal4]

Hello! Thanks for another beautiful pic. I'd hate to spend my kids lunch money on a telescope! One caption said it was taken by an amateur, so this one,too, would be visible with a telescope?

[petuniasevan]

Yes, you can find the star cluster in a telescope or even binoculars. Problem is, the faintest light pollution will wash out the nebulas. Also, your eye does not store photons as do photographic film and CCDs. All images are time exposures of the objects in question, ranging from minutes to hours.

A web page with tons of information on the NGC 2264 area is here:

http://www.anzwers.org/free/universe/nebulae/ngc2264.html

Did you check with your local Astronomical Society for star parties? Those are a great way to introduce kids to astronomy.

[sistergoldenhair]

Wow! These are beautiful.
Thanks for the ping.

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

Thanks for the ping! I especially appreciate the star charts - I just moved to a dark-sky area and need to dust off my scope!

[MozartLover]

bump

[firewalk]

Thanks for the ping