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NGC2264 – Christmas Tree Cluster and Cone Nebula

NGC2264 is an extensive star-forming region in the constellation Monoceros. It includes the Christmas Tree Cluster and the Cone Nebula, a distinctive dark nebula embedded in a large region of ionised-hydrogen emission. With an approximate visual magnitude of +4.09 and an apparent size of about 39 arcminutes, it lies around 670 parsecs, or approximately 2,200 light-years, away. It is a fascinating complex for the study of star formation.

General information

Constellation
Monoceros
Category
Nebulae
Date
25 January 2024

Capture

Total time
8h 55min
Subframes
360s (Ha: 10x, OIII: 10x) bin1; 300s (Ha: 25x, OIII: 32x, SII: 26x) bin1
Gain / Offset
125 / 30
Calibration
50 flat frames, 50 dark-flat frames and 50 library dark frames, without bias frames

Equipment

Telescope
TS102 f/5.6
Camera
ASI294MM at -10ºC
Filters
Ha, OIII and SII Astronomik, 6 nm
Mount
Sky Watcher Wave 150i
Guiding
PHD2, OAG ZWO + ASI224MC + PegasusAstro UCH + PPBMicro
Focuser
ZWO EAF
Filter wheel
ZWO EFW 7pos

Processing and environment

Processing
Stacked and post-processed with PixInsight 1.8.9-2
Acquisition
NINA
Location
l'Ampolla
Sky
Bortle 4

Additional versions

Annotated imageIdentification of NGC2264 and the Christmas Tree Cluster within the photographed field.
Alternative processingVersion of the NGC2264 complex with alternative processing and colour palette.
Full field in HOOFull-field view of NGC2264 processed as an HOO composition combining Ha and OIII emission.
Full field in SHOFull-field view of NGC2264 processed as an SHO composition combining SII, Ha and OIII emission.