Emission Nebula NGC 2264 in Monoceros

Emission Nebula NGC 2264 in Monoceros

The emission nebula NGC 2264 is, in fact, a cluster of young stars—with ages between about one and five million years old—in our Milky Way galaxy about 2,500 light-years away from Earth in the  constellation Monoceros. The stars in NGC 2264 are smaller and larger than the Sun, ranging from less than a tenth the mass of the Sun to others containing about seven solar masses.

Image Credit: Uwe Kamin

Release Date: March 9, 2025

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