The cosmic Christmas tree sparkles:

At the center of this starscape, the Christmas Tree star cluster (NGC 2264) shines in all its glory. Like a giant cosmic Christmas tree, decorated with sparkling lights! These "lights" are young, massive stars arranged in a triangular shape, like the branches of a fir tree. They are only a few million years old and shine with a dazzling bluish-white brightness. Their energy is so immense that they make the surrounding gas glow.

A sea of ​​glowing gas: The emission nebula and LBN 902:

The Christmas tree is embedded in a sea of ​​glowing gas, a so-called emission nebula. This cosmic glow is like the decoration on the Christmas tree, a veil of red-glowing hydrogen that is stimulated to glow by the intense UV radiation of the young stars. This huge nebula extends over a wide area and is cataloged by astronomers as LBN 902. It is like a huge, glowing frame around the entire scene.

The mysterious Cone Nebula: A shadow in the starlight:

Just below the Christmas Tree Cluster, a dark, mysterious shape rises up: the Cone Nebula. It is like a dark cone or a pointed bag that stands out against the bright background of the emission nebula. This "shadow" in the starlight is not empty space, but a dense cloud of dust and gas that absorbs and scatters the light of the stars behind it. It is a perfect example of a dark nebula and a place where new stars may form in the distant future.

The Fox Fur Nebula: A cosmic animal image:

Not far from the Christmas Tree is the Fox Nebula (also called the Fox Fur Nebula or Sharpless 2-275). With a little imagination, you can see the head and fur of a fox in its irregular shape. This nebula also glows red because it is illuminated and ionized by the young stars in the Christmas Tree Cluster. It is also part of the large LBN 902 complex.

LBN 899: Bluish glow in the northwest:

Northwest of the Christmas Tree Cluster is LBN 899, a reflection nebula. Unlike emission nebulae, it does not glow itself, but reflects the light of neighboring stars. This makes it appear a soft blue tone.

A cradle of stars on a cosmic scale:

This region in the constellation Monoceros is an active star formation region, a true "cradle of stars". New stars are constantly being born here, while those already in existence shape the surrounding gas and dust and stimulate them to glow. It is a dynamic and constantly changing system that gives us insight into the fascinating processes of star formation and the interaction between stars and their interstellar medium.

Observation:

With a telescope or a good pair of binoculars, you can even observe the Christmas Tree Cluster and the Fox Nebula yourself. The Cone Nebula is a little more difficult to see visually and requires long-exposure astrophotographs, such as this one with a recording time of 9.5 hours, to make its dark shape visible against the bright background of the emission nebula. The stars are temporarily removed during the more detailed image development.