The Cone Nebula.
Click at the image for double resolution
This area is full of young stars - still surrounded by the gas nebula within which they were originally born.
Dense, cold clouds of interstellar dust particles (carbon etc) - obscure the starlight - and form dark cone like pillars (e.g. lower part of the image).
The Cone Nebula (lower image) is located at the southern end of the star cluster NGC 2264 - distance of both objects : about 2600 lightyears.
Photographers during several cold, and partly foggy nights in February :
-
Rasmus, Mikkel S, David K.L., Søren, Michael, Santhos, Peter BN, a.o. .
Data : 5 " APO - Apogee AP6E mounted PB on our 16 " SCT. LLGB : 4700s, 3000s, 2100s
Keep their spirit alive,
send an email to our astronomystudents