Christmas Tree (Cone) Nebula

About the object

The NGC 2264 region in Monoceros, where the Christmas Tree Cluster, the Cone Nebula and the Fox Fur Nebula share one field. The bright stars of the cluster form a triangle that resembles a Christmas tree, topped by a dark pillar of dust, the Cone, about seven light-years long. The whole region is young, a few million years, and stars are still being born here.

Distance: about 2,600 light-years, apparent size in the sky: ≈ 40′, constellation Monoceros.

How it was shot

Everything here was shot with a DWARF Mini smart telescope from a balcony in a city in Ukraine: light-polluted sky, only the eastern half of it visible, and a roof overhang that cuts off the south. 4 nights (3 nights in September and 1 in October), 4 sessions, 358 frames with exposures of 60 s, a dual-band Hα/OIII filter that passes only the glow of hydrogen and oxygen and blocks most of the city light pollution. The stack holds 5 h 21 min of light; the longest night, 29 September, gave 2 h 32 min. The goal for this object is 4 h, and it is reached. First night 29 September 2026, last one 2 October 2026.

Christmas Tree (Cone) Nebula in the night log: 28 September, 29 September, 30 September, 1 October.

How it went

Four dual-band nights at 60 seconds, one of which was lost entirely: thin clouds through the whole series, and every frame had a third as many stars as on clear nights. Such frames do not go into the stack: they add more noise than signal. The other three nights gave a clean Cone and Fox Fur, and the goal for this nebula is not closed yet.