Christmas Tree Cluster

[Stargrrl]

NASA has produced a fun and twinkling image of the "Christmas Tree Cluster" -- NGC 2256 in Monoceros:

https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/tele ... e-cluster/

Happy holidays! Rebekah

[Apollo XX]

The Christmas Tree Cluster is one of those objects that has to be seen in the eyepiece to appreciate. I find that the 'tree' form stands right out to me even in a scope under 6" when the moon isn't in the sky. A mistake commonly made by observers looking for it is thinking that the Cone Nebula represents the tree, while in fact it's actually 'upside down' atop it. Another confusing element is that the brightest star in the field, 15 Monoceros at 4th magnitude, is actually the base of the tree, not the "star" like we might be inclined to think. Finally, this object is best viewed in a Newtonian scope, unless you like your trees upside down, which I have actually seen in some homes over the years.

Thanks for sharing this, Rebecca. This is a fine visual object that should be on everyone's winter observing list.

Mike M.