NGC2264 - Cone Nebula
NGC2264 - Cone Nebula
The Cone Nebula lies in the southern part of the christmas tree cluster. The very bright star just above and to the right of the Cone Nebula is a variable star of the Orion type called V427. It has a spectral characteristic of a B3 type and varies in magnitude by 2x. It is most likely a very young star and not quite stable. Similar to the Horsehead Nebula, the Cone Nebula's shape is created by an intervening dark cloud. It is very faint and difficult to see visually.
The red glow is created by ionized hydrogen gas called HI. The region near the bright stars, such as V427, hydrogen atoms get stripped of an electrion from the star's ultroviolet radiation. This caused the hydrogen gas to become ionized. The red glow in the picture is from his ionized gas. The dark regions are from stellar dust that obsorb the glow of the hydrogen gas.
You might wonder where the spikes come from that surround the bright stars. These are the result of light reflecting off the spider vanes that hold the secondary mirror at the front end of the telescope.
Date: 01-07-05
Telescope: RC14.5 with .75x reducer Camera:ST8XE
Exposure Time: LLRGB 2.0hrs;30min;30min;48min; 2x2bin
Processing: Maxim, DDP, Adobe combined, selective sharpening
