Other Names: Cone Nebula
Optics: Borg Astrograph 101ED at f/4.1
Mount: Atlas EQG using The Sky6 and EQMOD
Camera: Canon EOS 50D [ UV/IR filter modification by Hap Griffin ]
Filters: IDAS Light Pollution Suppression (LPS) Filter
Exposure: 190 Mins [38 x 300s at ISO 800]
Accessories: Auto guided with Borg 45ED and Orion Starshoot Auto guider using PHD
Location: Calgary, AB
Date: December 4th, 2010
Notes: Processing: Image acquisition with Maxim DSLR. Image calibration, align, and combine in Maxim DSLR. Levels, curves, Noise Ninja, crop and resize in Photoshop.
Calibrated w/40 Darks, 40 Bias, 40 Flats using light box Ambient temperature was -8.7C

NGC 2264: Cone Nebula at bottom with inverted Christmas Tree cluster above the cone; the bright star just above the cone is the tree topper and the very bright star at the top of the image is the center of the tree trunk. The Fox Fur Nebula is at the top right corner. The Snowflake nebula is in the middle which shows up better on the infrared image.


NGC 2264 is the designation number of the New General Catalogue that identifies two astronomical objects as a single object:

• the Cone Nebula,
• the Christmas Tree Cluster,

Two other objects are within this designation but not officially included:

• Snowflake Cluster,[2][3]
• and the Fox Fur Nebula[4].

All of the objects are located in the Monoceros constellation and are located about 800 parsecs or 2600 light-years from Earth.
NGC 2264 is sometimes referred to as the Christmas Tree Cluster and the Cone Nebula. However, the designation of NGC 2264 in the New General Catalogue refers to both objects and not the cluster alone.