C50 · Christmas Tree Cluster
| Chinese name | 圣诞树星团 |
|---|---|
| Type | Open cluster |
| Constellation | Mon |
| RA | 06h41m |
| Dec | +09° |
| Apparent magnitude | 3.9ᵐ |
| Hemisphere | Both hemispheres |
| Best season | Winter |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Focal length | 中长焦 800–1200mm |
About
The Christmas Tree Cluster is the cluster portion of NGC 2264, lying about 2,700 light-years away in Monoceros. It is named for the way its bright stars trace an inverted Christmas tree, whose tip points toward the Cone Nebula to the south. Only a few million years old, the cluster is still forming stars, with the bright S Monocerotis at the base of the 「trunk.」 It is set within red emission nebulosity and the blue Fox Fur reflection nebula, near the famous Snowflake region. A photogenic cluster-and-nebula combination in the winter Monoceros field, it suits medium-to-long focal lengths in narrowband or broadband to capture both the cluster and the rich surrounding nebulae.