Cone Nebula
NGC 2264 Captured December 2025.
When uncertainty weighs upon us, I find peace looking outward. These photons traveled 2,700 years to reach us — crossing the void while empires rose and fell, while countless generations wrestled with their own fears and hopes. May the weight we carry dissolve into this endless beauty above us, a quiet reminder that we are part of something far larger, far older, and quietly enduring, where goodness and beauty transcend all.
This is NGC 2264 — the Christmas Tree Cluster with its towering Cone Nebula, captured at Space Haven Observatory in Fair Haven, New Jersey, USA. I colored it to match the season: evergreen hydrogen gas glowing across space, with newborn stars scattered like candle lights on cosmic branches. At only 3-5 million years old, these stars are cosmic infants, their stellar winds and radiation sculpting the dark cone shape that stands against the glowing background.
The universe doesn’t need tinsel when it has hydrogen and stardust.
Scope: Planewave CDK12.5 (f/5.28 with 0.66× reducer)
Camera: ASI2600MM Pro
Filters: Hα, SII, OIII (HSO Narrowband)
Location: Bortle 6-7 skies, New Jersey, USA
Clear skies, merry Christmas and happy holidays! 🎄🌙⭐