                        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.

                               2024 February 4
      A starfield is shown that has only a few bright stars. Vertically
   through the center is a large reddish brown nebula that has a few stars
     embedded. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                         The Cone Nebula from Hubble
   Image Credit: Hubble Legacy Archive, NASA, ESA - Processing & Licence:
                                Judy Schmidt

   Explanation: Stars are forming in the gigantic dust pillar called the
   Cone Nebula. Cones, pillars, and majestic flowing shapes abound in
   stellar nurseries where natal clouds of gas and dust are buffeted by
   energetic winds from newborn stars. The Cone Nebula, a well-known
   example, lies within the bright galactic star-forming region NGC 2264.
   The Cone was captured in unprecedented detail in this close-up
   composite of several observations from the Earth-orbiting Hubble Space
   Telescope. While the Cone Nebula, about 2,500 light-years away in
   Monoceros, is around 7 light-years long, the region pictured here
   surrounding the cone's blunted head is a mere 2.5 light-years across.
   In our neck of the galaxy that distance is just over half way from our
   Sun to its nearest stellar neighbors in the Alpha Centauri star system.
   The massive star NGC 2264 IRS, seen by Hubble's infrared camera in
   1997, is the likely source of the wind sculpting the Cone Nebula and
   lies off the top of the image. The Cone Nebula's reddish veil is
   produced by dust and glowing hydrogen gas.

                   Tomorrow's picture: carina's crazy core
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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