Object Analysis

The Cone Nebula (NGC 2264) is an H II region in the constellation of Monoceros. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1785 and is part of the larger NGC 2264 complex, which also includes the Christmas Tree Cluster. It is located approximately 2,700 light-years from Earth.

The "cone" shape comes from a dark absorption nebula consisting of cold molecular hydrogen and dust. This dense pillar of gas is being eroded by the intense radiation and stellar winds from the massive star S Monocerotis. The pillar is roughly seven light-years long—about one and a half times the distance from our Sun to Proxima Centauri.

This region is a classic example of a stellar nursery. The pillar acts as a protective shield for the gas behind it, but the radiation from nearby stars is slowly "evaporating" the cloud. Inside the tip of the cone, new stars are forming, which may eventually blow the pillar apart from the inside out, continuing the cycle of stellar birth and destruction.