Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]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. 2023 January 10 [2]A conical interstellar dust pillar is pictured. The pillar is mostly brownish-red but surrounded by stars. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. NGC 2264: The Cone Nebula Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Matthew Dieterich Explanation: Stars are forming in the gigantic dust pillar called the Cone Nebula. Cones, [4]pillars, and majestic [5]flowing shapes abound in [6]stellar nurseries where clouds of gas and dust are [7]sculpted by energetic winds from newborn stars. The [8]Cone Nebula, a well-known example, lies within the bright galactic star-forming region [9]NGC 2264. The [10]featured image of the [11]Cone was captured recently combining 24-hours of exposure with a half-meter telescope at the [12]El Sauce Observatory in [13]Chile. Located about 2,500 [14]light-years away toward the constellation of the Unicorn ([15]Monoceros), the [16]Cone Nebula's conical pillar [17]extends about 7 light-years. The massive star [18]NGC 2264 IRS, is the [19]likely source of the wind sculpting the [20]Cone Nebula and lies off the top of the image. The [21]Cone Nebula's reddish veil is produced by glowing hydrogen gas. Discovery + Outreach: [22]Graduate student research position open for APOD Tomorrow's picture: open space __________________________________________________________________ [23]< | [24]Archive | [25]Submissions | [26]Index | [27]Search | [28]Calendar | [29]RSS | [30]Education | [31]About APOD | [32]Discuss | [33]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [34]Robert Nemiroff ([35]MTU) & [36]Jerry Bonnell ([37]UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman [38]Specific rights apply. [39]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [40]ASD at [41]NASA / [42]GSFC, [43]NASA Science Activation & [44]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2301/ConeNebula_Dieterich_1370.jpg 3. https://www.mattdieterich.com/about-me 4. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap011125.html 5. http://www.goodearthgraphics.com/virtcave/staltite/staltite.html 6. https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-form-and-evolve 7. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022arXiv221109000F/abstract 8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap111213.html 9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_2264 10. https://www.flickr.com/photos/46847275@N04/52597998312/ 11. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cone_nebula 12. https://obstech.cl/ 13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chile 14. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/light-year/en/ 15. http://www.hawastsoc.org/deepsky/mon/index.html 16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap020107.html 17. https://media.istockphoto.com/id/175194979/photo/big-stretch.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=1DMdAkJMllfbCuwlN0OdD1vWbsz-kdD-PloadnaPDwY= 18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap970611.html 19. https://esahubble.org/images/opo9716a/ 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170315.html 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070509.html 22. http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?t=42847 23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230109.html 24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss 30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 32. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=230110 33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230111.html 34. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 35. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 36. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 37. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 38. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 39. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 40. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 41. https://www.nasa.gov/ 42. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 43. https://science.nasa.gov/learners 44. http://www.mtu.edu/