Clouds of glowing hydrogen gas fill this colorful skyscape in the faint but fanciful constellation Monoceros, the Unicorn. A star forming region cataloged as NGC 2264, the complex jumble of cosmic gas and dust is about 2,700 light-years distant and mixes reddish emission nebulae excited by energetic light from newborn stars with dark interstellar dust clouds. Where the otherwise obscuring dust clouds lie close to the hot, young stars they also reflect starlight, forming blue reflection nebulae. The image covers about 40 light-years at the distance of NGC 2264. Its cast of cosmic characters includes the the Fox Fur Nebula, whose dusty, convoluted pelt lies just above center, bright variable star S Monocerotis immersed in the blue-tinted haze right of the Fox Fur, and the Cone Nebula at the left of the frame. Of course, the stars of NGC 2264 are also known as the Christmas Tree star cluster. The triangular tree shape traced by the stars has its apex at the Cone Nebula. The tree's broader base is centered near S Monocerotis. (APOD Text).

Acquisition: 21-25/1/17

Chiswick, London, UK.

17.5 Hours total Exposure (SII:Ha:OIII)

23x1800sHa, 7x1800sSII, 5x1800sOIII

SII and OIII bin 2x2

Equipment:

T: Takahashi FSQ106ED @ f/8

C: QSI683ws Mono CCD @-30C

F: Astronomik Ha (6nm)

M: Celestron Advanced Vx

G: QHY5-II

150/750 PDS, canon 1100d modificada, filtro ir/uv, autoguiado casero con buscador 9x50 y spc900 modificada; 99x300", 35x600", darks, flats, bias

This photo was taken as part of the competition from ChileScope.com (www.chilescope.com/), thanks to the access granted to raw materials from a remote telescope in the mountains in Chile.

Telescopes NN 2 and 3:

OTA Newtonian ASA 1900mm/500mm (F/3.8) + 10 position dual color filter wheel on German Equatorial mount

CCD Camera FLI ProLine 16803

L (Bin1) = 43frames * 10min (07:10:00)

R (Bin2) = 26frames * 5min (02:10:00)

G (Bin2) = 22frames * 5min (01:50:00)

B (Bin2) = 26frames * 5min (02:10:00)

H-Alpha (Bin1) = 20frames * 20min (06:40:00)

Total time of exposure on both telescopes = 20:00:00

+ calibration

See this link (www.chilescope.com/equipment-and-infrastructure/telescope...) for more details about the telescope

In this frame:

Star of the Unicorn/Monoceros (15 Mon, S Mon, HIP 31978 A, SAO 114258, HD 47839, HR 2456, WDS J06410+0954AB), 4.65m

the Cone Nebula, the Christmas Tree Cluster, Snowflake Cluster, Fox Fur Nebula (NGC 2264 - SH 2-273 - LBN 911 - Cr 112 - Mel 49 - Ced 84b), 3.90m

* * *

Soft: DeepSkyStacker v. 4.1.1

Telescope: WO ZenithStar 81 Refractor

Mount: Losmandy GM811G

Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI 2600MC Pro

Filter: Optolong L-Extreme Filter

Site: Elk Grove, California, USA

Calibration Files: None

Guiding: ZWO ASI 174mm mini/Orion 60mm Guidescope/PHD2

No of Frames: 161

Sub Exposure Time: 180sec/120sec

Integration Time: 7h 29m

Bortle Zone: Class 6

Date Taken: Jan 22 & 23, 2022

The Cone Nebula (NGC2264), top, Christmas Tree Cluster and Fox Fur Nebula (bottom) imaged from London over 3 nights in January 2017

Ha - 5 hours, mapped to red

Oiii - 3 hours, mapped to green & blue

TS65 Quad Astrograph, Atik314L+ camera

Captured and stacked in Maxim DL Pro, processed in Photoshop CC

Well the 2nd image of the year, there were other clear nights this month but there was a small problem of that big light bulb in the sky...

After the rain I was left with a crystal clear night. After the first 4h everything was going well then came the Meridian flip after which the computer would not recognise the driver for my guide camera once that was sorted my main camera locked up but I was too busy watching my guiding to realise, that wasted 20 minutes. Once that was sort and I look at my 5th sub I realise my cooler had only gone down to -2. By this point I poured myself a large whiskey. All of this meant I finished at 2 am rather than midnight but got there in the end.

Note:

I removed all the stars after the initial processing using StarNet++ and then added the Ha stars back in at the end.

NGC2264 is the join designation for the “Cone Nebula” and "Christmas Tree Cluster" located in the constellation Monoceros. It’s is approximately 2350 Light Years from earth with apparent size of 20' arcmin. There are two other object within this area. that don't have a identifier these are the "Fox Fur Nebula" and the "Snowflake Cluster", both clusters were formed within the emission nebula.

EQUIPMENT:-

Telescope Meade 6000 115mm and AZ-EQ6 GT

Explore Scientific 0.7 Focal Reducer

ZWO ASI1600mm-Cool cmos camera

Orion Mini Auto Guide

Astronomik 6nm Ha Filter (New)

Astronomik 6nm Oiii Filter

Chip Temp Cooled to -20 degC

IMAGING DETAILS:-

NGC 2264 Cone & Christmas Nebula (Monoceros)

Gain 139 (Unit Gain)

Dithering

40 Ha subs@240 (2h 40 min)

36 Oiii subs@240sec (2h 24 min)

Total imaging Time 5h 04 min

20 Darks

25 Flats

PROCESSING/GUIDING SOFTWARE:-

APT "Astro Photograph Tools"

StarNet++

DSS

PS CS2

Bi color process Ha, O3.

42 x 300s - O3 (3 nm) subs

170 x 300s - Ha (5 nm) subs

Processed in PixInsight and PS.

ES ED80mm CF 0.8x FF FR

Losmandy GM811G

ASI1600 MM

Taken w/ William Optics Redcat 51 (w/ QHYCCD Polemaster), Skywatcher EQM-35, Nikon D7500.

310 lights x 90 s @ ISO 800, ~45 dark, ~45 flat, ~100 bias, stacked in DSS and post-processed in Photoshop & PixInsight

The Christmas Tree Cluster is a young open cluster located in the constellation Monoceros. Included are the Cone Nebula and the Fox Fur Nebula. It is located in the Orion Arm of the Milky Way.

Unfortunately, I still have not been able to get out due to shoulder issues but hopefully after the next operation in November and some recovery time, I should be back into it.

This is a reprocess of some older data, using HA, and RGB filters.

Equipment Details:

•Skywatcher Black Diamond 80ED Refractor

•Skywatcher HEQ5 Mount

•SBIG ST2000xm CCD Camera cooled to -20'c

•SBIG CFw8 Filter Wheel

•Custom Scientific Red, Green, Blue Filters

•Astronomic 12NM Ha Filter

•Orion ST80 Guide Scope

•Orion Starshoot Autoguider Guide Camera

Exposure Details:

•Ha 15X300 seconds - Bin 1x1

•Red 10X300 seconds - Bin 1x1

•Green 10X300 seconds - Bin 1x1

•Blue 10X300 seconds - Bin 1x1

Total Integration Time: 4.35 hours

The Cone Nebula and Christmas Tree cluster. Took this months ago but never could get the edit quite right until now.

The Christmas Tree Cluster is a young open cluster located in the constellation Monoceros. Included are the Cone Nebula and the Fox Fur Nebula. It is located in the Orion Arm of the Milky Way.

This is a reprocess of some older data, using HA, and RGB filters.

Equipment Details:

•Skywatcher Black Diamond 80ED Refractor

•Skywatcher HEQ5 Mount

•SBIG ST2000xm CCD Camera cooled to -20'c

•SBIG CFw8 Filter Wheel

•Custom Scientific Red, Green, Blue Filters

•Astronomic 12NM Ha Filter

•Orion ST80 Guide Scope

•Orion Starshoot Autoguider Guide Camera

Exposure Details:

•Ha 15X300 seconds - Bin 1x1

•Red 10X300 seconds - Bin 1x1

•Green 10X300 seconds - Bin 1x1

•Blue 10X300 seconds - Bin 1x1

Total Integration Time: 4.35 hours

The Rosette Nebula (C50) is a beautiful H-alpha nebula, located near the end of a giant molecular cloud in the Monoceros region of the Milky Way.

Due to it's beauty and relatively high apparent brightness, it is a very popular target for deep space imaging. Its photographic attractiveness probably is the reason, why its equally stunning surroundings are often overlooked.

At about 200mm focal length, the Rosette Nebula shares the field of view with the Christmas Tree Cluster (NGC2264) and the Cone Nebula, a cone shaped, cold hydrogen molecular cloud blocking the light of a faint emission nebula behind it. Both the Cone and Rosette Nebula are part of a giant star forming complex.

I captured this "deepscape" of the Rosette and Christmas Tree region of our sky setting behind this landmark peak, during my skiing vacation in Arosa, Switzerland. The foreground lighting comes from snowcats preparing the slopes for another day of perfect skiing.

Capturing such an alignment normally involves quite a bit of cross country hiking with a huge backpack full of equipment.

For this alignment however, I was very lucky. Our appartment was perfectly located for this image and I was able to capture this image from our balcony while sitting in the warm living room.

EXIF

Canon EOS 6D, astro-modified

ZWO ASI 1600MM Pro

Baader Ultra Narrowband H-alpha and Olll filters

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L ll @ 182mm, f/4

Equatorially mounted Skywatcher AZ-GTI mount

Sky:

RGBwith the EOS 6D:

50 x 60s @ ISO800

Narrowband data with ZWO ASI 1600MM Pro:

H-alpha: 20 x 300s

Oiii: 17 x 240s

Foreground:

Stack of 20 x 60s @ ISO800 with the EOS 6D

150/750 PDS, canon 1100d modificada, filtro ir/uv, autoguiado casero con buscador 9x50 y spc900 modificada; 99x300", 35x600", darks, flats, bias

Recent clear and frosty nights have given me some decent data collection on this target. This is the Christmas Tree Cluster and the Cone Nebula (NGC2264) located in the constellation of Monoceros. The red Christmas tree shape is clear, adorned with its blue tinged open star cluster masquerading as the baubles. The Cone Nebula (inverted in this view) can be seen at the top of the image. Deep within the clouds of gas and dust are the ingredients for producing new stars, which burn a fiercely hot bright blue. The red hue in the image is a result of gas clouds glowing as they are hit by ultra-violet light emanating from the newborn stars. The region is about 30 lightyears across and sits 2600 lightyears from Earth, not far in the sky from the Orion constellation.

William Optics GT81

William Optics Flat 6AIII

ZWO ASI2600MC Pro

ZWO ASI Air Pro

Skywatcher HEQ 5 Pro

Optolong L-eXtreme filter

161 x 180s lights, 40 darks, 50 flats and 50 flat darks at gain 101 and -10C.

Stacked and processed in PixInsight with final touches in LR.

聖誕樹星團

NGC2264

Christmas Tree Cluster

錐狀星雲

Cone Nebula

雪花星團

Snowflake Cluster

狐狸皮星雲

Fox Fur Nebula

這也是一直很想拍的目標之一

等了2年總算有機會了

不過

離聖誕節還很久啦

要變成聖誕樹的形狀

好像也有點理解困難XD

其實裡面有很多東西

除了聖誕樹星團外

還有錐狀星雲

狐狸皮星雲

雪花星團

非常豐富

不知等了幾年

永遠在聖誕樹下

等一個人

只是她依舊

睡過頭了

Reprocessing in 2021

Date：2021/2/8

Weather：Clear

Location：Tataka, Nantou, Taiwan

Camera：Canon 550D(mod)

Lens/Telescope：

William Optics ZenitherStar 81+

Flat 6A III

Mount：iOptron CEM40

Guiding：

William Optics Uniguide+ZWO ASI120MM mini+PHD2

Parameter： ISO3200

Exposure time：5min*30

Dark, Flat, Bias

Software：DSS+PS+Starnet++

I almost continued work on my Orion mosaic last night, but ultimately decided to image the Cone Nebula region again. My previous image of this area from a year ago always bugged me - the focus was off and I didn't like the processing.

So I reshot this area last night - this time my focus was on, the skies were better, and I like the color I ended up with more. Not as happy with the framing, but at least the data is good so I can potentially add more data to this at a later date to improve framing or create a mosaic.

Fujifilm X-T10, Samyang 135mm f/2.0 ED UMC @ f2.0, ISO 1600, 47 x 60 sec, tracking with iOptron SkyTracker Pro, stacking with DeepSkyStacker, editing with Astro Pixel Processor and GIMP, taken on Jan. 13, 2021 under Bortle 3/4 skies.

NGC2264 The Cone Nebula and Christmas Tree Cluster imaged remotely on the 18th Nd 25th December 2020. 90 minutes Ha and 90 minutes Oiii consisting of 10 minute sub exposures, combined to create a HaOiiiOiii image.

The Cone Nebula, or NGC 2264, is a dark nebula located 2,500 lightyears away in the Monoceros constellation. The nebula is 7 lightyears long and is packed full of dense gas and dust - the ingredients necessary for star formation - making it a perfect stellar factory. This tempestuous deep-sky region contains scorching hot young stars that are eroding and carving out the dark nebula, also emitting blasts of powerful ultraviolet light that can be seen illuminating the edges of the dense cosmic cloud. The NGC 2264 region also contains an open star cluster known as the Christmas Tree Cluster, as it forms a sparkling triangular shape that makes it look rather like a festive fir.

This was a fairly tough object to process. I took this over 2 nights (7th & 8th Dec) with the moon up and between 70-80% illumination which did affect the subs especially the Oiii. I was going to rotate this but I think it looks better on its side.

Note:-

1. I add the Ha stars back in near the end of the process, given me smaller stars and no colour Halo's....

2. This is not true Hubble as it only made up of Ha & Oiii data

Information:-

NGC 2264 designation refers to both the Christmas Tree Cluster and the Cone Nebula. The cone's shape comes from a dark absorption nebula consisting of cold molecular hydrogen and the dust in front of a faint emission nebula containing hydrogen ionized by S Monocerotis, the brightest star of NGC 2264.The nebula is located about 2,700 light-years away from Earth.

--------------------

EQUIPMENT:-

--------------------

Telescope Meade 6000 115mm and AZ-EQ6 GT

ZWO ASI1600mm-Cool cmos camera

Orion Mini Auto Guide

Astronomik 12nm Ha Filter

Astronomik 6nm Oiii Filter

Chip Temp Cooled to -20 degC

-----------------------------

IMAGING DETAILS:-

-----------------------------

NGC 2264 Cone Nebula (Monoceros)

& Christmas Tree Cluster

Gain 139 (Unit Gain)

36 Ha subs@300sec (3h)

18 Oiii subs@300sec (1.5h)

Total imaging Time 4.5h

Dithering

20 Darks

20 Flats

-------------------------------------------------------

PROCESSING/GUIDING SOFTWARE:-

-------------------------------------------------------

APT "Astro Photograph Tools"

DSS

PS CS2

The NGC 2264 region in Monoceros includes the Cone Nebula, the Christmas Tree Cluster and the Fox Fur Nebula.

This is a reprocess of RGB and H-alpha data I collected in 2018 (it's hard to believe 5 years have passed). My original finished version can be found here www.flickr.com/photos/124244349@N07/28107500639/in/dateta...

I have taken some liberties with color and contrast to add drama, but the biggest differences stem from using AI image processing tools to sharpen and tighten distorted stars and reduce noise.

Tech Stuff: Borg 55FL astrograph with ZWO ASI1600MC using Astronomik CLS and Ha Filters on iOptron Cubepro 8200 unguided mount. SharpCap Livestacks of 8 second exposures 1hr CLS + 3hrs Ha integrated into HaLRGB image with PixInsight. Imaged from my yard 10 miles north of New York City in January, 2018 and reprocessed April, 2023.

Canon 6Da, ef 500mm f4, Hutech IDAS LPS-D2; iso1600, f/4, 69 x 300s; 13 februari 2023, Vorden

Pixinsight 1.8, Elements 13

Proposal ID: 8992

NASA/ESA/Hubble Team/Kevin M. Gill

Red: hst_8992_06_acs_wfc_f814w_sci

Green: hst_8992_06_acs_wfc_f814w_sci

Blue: hst_8992_05_acs_wfc_f435w_sci

The Cone Nebula, or NGC 2264, is a dark nebula located 2,500 lightyears away in the Monoceros constellation. The nebula is 7 lightyears long and is packed full of dense gas and dust - the ingredients necessary for star formation - making it a perfect stellar factory. This tempestuous deep-sky region contains scorching hot young stars that are eroding and carving out the dark nebula, also emitting blasts of powerful ultraviolet light that can be seen illuminating the edges of the dense cosmic cloud. The NGC 2264 region also contains an open star cluster known as the Christmas Tree Cluster, as it forms a sparkling triangular shape that makes it look rather like a festive fir.

The Cone Nebula is in the constellation of Monoceros. It was discovered by William Herschel on December 26, 1785. The nebula is located about 830 parsecs or 2,700 light-years away from Earth. The Cone Nebula forms part of the nebulosity surrounding the Christmas Tree Cluster. The designation of NGC 2264 in the New General Catalogue refers to both objects and not the nebula alone.

Telescope Astrosib 500mm F/2.8 +camera Moravian G4 16003

Filters SHO total =16h10 no guiding

Pixinsight (mix with SHO and HOO)

From Fregenal de la sierra (Spain) in remote

NGC 2264 the Cone Nebula. The LRGB with ASA 500N 500/1900 f 3/8 telescope, FLI PL 16803 camera (spec sheet) is 2 hours of integration, 13 shots of which in L 4x300 seconds, in R 4x300 seconds, in G 4x600 seconds and in B 4x600 seconds, processing with Pixinsight and Photoshop. All data and shots were captured with Telescope Live. NGC 2264 indicates a bright open cluster surrounded by a large system of diffuse nebulosities (the Cone Nebula) within the constellation of Monoceros.

In fact, the first feature that strikes you when exploring this area of the sky with binoculars is a group of about twenty blue stars, dominated by the star S Monocerotis, of magnitude between the fifth and ninth, arranged in a triangle, with the vertex pointing southwards, a feature that in the southern hemisphere (where the top appears upwards) makes it similar to a Christmas tree (the latter is the proper name of the cluster).

At the southern tip of the cluster, if you observe with a Newtonian telescope with the help of a filter, a nebula becomes evident, in the edge of which there is a dark cone-shaped patch with the tip pointing towards the top of the Christmas tree; this structure has made the cloud famous with the name of Cone Nebula. To the northwest of the cluster there is also a vast fainter nebulosity, clearly visible in the long exposure photos.

NGC 2264 in Monoceros

=========================

Image exposure: 90 Minutes

Image Size: 1.99º x 1.32º

Image date: 2024-03-08

=========================

My Flickr Astronomy Album

=========================

New elaboration from an old image

www.flickr.com/photos/fabioh2o/50953551818/in/dateposted/

Telescopio: William Optics GTF81

Montatura: Losmandy G11

Cámara ZWO ASI 294 MC PRO -13ºc guadagno 250

Filtro: Optolong L-Enhance

Esposizioni: 37 x 300 "

Tempo di integrazione totale: 3 ore 5 min.

Catturato con APT

Elaboraton in Pixinsight

Seeing 5/10

The so called Christmas Tree Cluster NGC 2264 in constellation Monocerus contains a star cluster and a dark nebula (Cone Nebula) within a diffuse hydrogen alpha emission nebula region.

30 x 60 s R/G/B and 39 x 300s Ha with TS 130/910 mm Apo and ASI1600mmpro

The region of the Cone Nebula (NGC 2264) in the constellation Monoceros, a large complex of dust and gas forming new stars. At bottom right is another feature, a much smaller cloud of mostly dust (NGC 2261) reflecting light from a star. The star's brightness varies so the reflected light does too. For this reason it's known as Hubble's Variable Nebula, named after Edwin Hubble, the astronomer who discovered it, not the orbiting telescope.

The Cone Nebula, or NGC 2264, is a dark nebula located 2,500 lightyears away in the Monoceros constellation. The nebula is 7 lightyears long and is packed full of dense gas and dust - the ingredients necessary for star formation - making it a perfect stellar factory. This tempestuous deep-sky region contains scorching hot young stars that are eroding and carving out the dark nebula, also emitting blasts of powerful ultraviolet light that can be seen illuminating the edges of the dense cosmic cloud. The NGC 2264 region also contains an open star cluster known as the Christmas Tree Cluster, as it forms a sparkling triangular shape that makes it look rather like a festive fir.

The Christmas Tree Cluster is a young open cluster located in the constellation of Monoceros. It is part of the NGC 2264 region, along with the Cone Nebula and the Fox Fur Nebula and top left Hubble's Variable Nebula NGC 2261.

Scope: William Optics GT 81

Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro

Mount: Celestron CGX

Filters: Optolong L-eNhance

Integration: 14x 1200s , 56x 300s

Total Integration: 9h 20m

Here is a wide field view of NGC 2264, the Cone Nebula and the Christmas Tree Cluster. This is located in the constellation Monoceros and is about 2,600 light years away from Earth. There are other jewels in this image, but it will have to wait until next season to add more time.

Tech Specs: Williams Optics REDCAT, Sky Watcher EQ6R-Pro Mount, ZWO ASI071mc-Pro (-10C), Optolong L-eNhance 2” filter, ZWO ASIAir Pro, 24 x 300 seconds with dark and flat frames, guided using a ZWO 30mm f/4 mini guide scope and ZWO 120 Mini. Processed using PixInsight. Image date: March 9, 2021. Location: The Dark Side Observatory, Weatherly, PA, USA (Bortle Class 4).

Telescopio: William Optics GTF81

Montatura: Losmandy G11

Cámara ZWO ASI 294 MC PRO -13ºc guadagno 250

Filtro: Optolong L-Enhance

Esposizioni: 37 x 300 "

Tempo di integrazione totale: 3 ore 5 min.

Catturato con APT

Elaborato in Pixinsight

Seeing 5/10

La nébuleuse du Sapin de Noel et la nébuleuse du Cône.

Dans la constellation hivernale de la Licorne se cache un amas dont les étoiles dessinent un sapin. La forme d’arbre de Noël est reconnaissable (mais à l’envers), avec partie bleutée, en haut, qui matérialise la base du tronc. Ce cliché couvre une zone de 30 années-lumière. Les nébulosités sont dues à de l’hydrogène et à des poussières. Elles cachent des étoiles en formation, notamment dans la nébulosité sombre en bas de l’image, baptisée la nébuleuse du Cône. Cet ensemble se trouve à 2600 années-lumière de la Terre et peut être perçu à l’aide de jumelles sous un ciel bien sombre.

.

Skywatcher 200/1000 - Neq6 Pro Goto - Canon 6d Astrodon - 7h d'exposition (et plusieurs jours de traitement...)

.

Merci d'avance ;)

Northfield, OH

Equipment--

Telescope: Explore Scientific ED 80, field flattener (no reducer), 480mm focal length

Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6R-Pro

Camera: ZWO ASI204MC-Pro

Guide scope: Williams Optics 50mm guide scope

Guide camera: ZWO ASI120MM-S

Software: NINA, PHD2

Imaging--

Lights: 33x300s

Darks, Flats, DarkFlats, Bias: assorted

Sensor temp: -10.0

Filter: Optolong L-Pro

Sky: Bortle 5 (nominal)

Post processing--

Software: PixInsight, Photoshop

This is the nebula rich region in the constellation of Monoceros the Unicorn with the dark Cone Nebula (left of centre) and the small V-shaped and bright Hubble’s Variable Nebula at bottom, a reflection nebula that varies in form and brightness. Above the Cone Nebula is the triangular Christmas Tree Cluster, NGC 2264, here upside down as the bright blue star 15 Mon is the base of the tree. The large region of nebulosity is Sharpless 2-273. The V-shaped dark nebula above centre is LDN 1603.

Near 15 Mon is a blue reflection nebula. Another blue reflection nebula IC 2169 and associated star cluster Collinder 95 is at left — I framed the field to contain this nebula. Other bits of reflection nebulosity surround it - clockwise: NGC 2245, NGC 2247 and IC 446 above the main nebula. The rich faint cluster near centre is Trumpler 5.

This is a blend of 8 x 5-minute exposures at ISO 800 unfiltered with 6 x 8-minute exposures at ISO 1600 shot through an Optolong L-Enhance dual-band nebula enhancement filter (it lets through only Oxygen III blue-green and Hydrogen-alpha red to really enhance the nebulosity). All exposures with the Canon EOS Ra mirrorless camera through the SharpStar HNT150 Hyperbolic Newtonian Astrograph at f/2.8, from home on a very clear moonless night January 26, 2020. All stacked, aligned and blended in Photoshop 2020.

NOTE: I'VE REPROCESSED THIS IMAGE.

I've increased the Oiii but the only way I could do this was to remove the stars so I could stretch it further, I then use a big gaussian blur on it to remove the noise, I then add the stars back in from the original image. ( I also removed the stars from the Ha and the Ha luminance).

Yet again I was promised a clear night to get this image in one go but as is the norm in the UK I only managed to get 2h of Ha before the clouds rolled in. I manged to get 20 Oiii subs (1h 40min) the following night between 9 and 11:40 during the gaps in the clouds. I would have liked more Oiii but that's life.

Object Description:-

IC5146 (SH2-125) the Cocoon Nebula is a rich Ha emission Nebula and lies in the constellations of Cygnus. It is a stellar nursery where star formation is currently taking place and the cluster is enveloped in dark and bright nebula. The cluster is about 4,000 ly from earth and the bright central star is believed to have formed 100,000 years ago. It is a relatively small but bright object with a apparent mag of 7.2 but only an apparent diameter (visual) of 12'.

EQUIPMENT:-

Telescope Meade 6000 115mm and AZ-EQ6 GT

ZWO ASI1600mm-Cool cmos camera

Orion Mini Auto Guide

Astronomik 12nm Ha Filter

Astronomik 6nm Oiii Filter

Chip Temp Cooled to -20 degC

IMAGING DETAILS:-

IC5146 Cocoon Nebula (Cygnus)

Ha Gain 139 (Unit Gain)

Oiii Gain 200

24 Ha subs@300sec (2h)

20 Oiii subs@300sec (1h 40min)

Total imaging Time 3h 40min

Dithering

20 Darks

20 Flats

PROCESSING/GUIDING SOFTWARE:-

APT "Astro Photograph Tools"

DSS

PS CS2

Before the clouds came in last night with the snow, I got another few hours of clear, crisp skies and a chance to image another deep sky object. This is the Christmas Tree Cluster and the Cone Nebula (NGC2264) located in the constellation of Monocerous. The red Christmas tree shape is clear, adorned with its blue tinged open star cluster masquerading as the baubles. The Cone Nebula sits at the top of the 'tree' but is inverted in this shot. Deep within the clouds of gas and dust are the ingredients for producing new stars, which burn a fiercely hot bright blue. The red hue in the image is a result of gas clouds glowing as they are hit by ultra-violet light emanating from the newborn stars. The region is about 30 lightyears across and sits 2600 lightyears from Earth, not far in the sky from the Orion constellation.

William Optics GT81

William Optics Flat 6AIII

ZWO ASI2600MC Pro

ZWO ASI Air Pro

Skywatcher HEQ 5 Pro

Optolong L-eNhance filter

48 x 300s lights, 40 darks, 50 flats and 50 dark flats at gain 100 and -10C.

Stacked in DSS, processed with PS and LR.

The Christmas Tree Cluster and the Cone Nebula are both designated as NGC 2264. The Cone Nebula is top center and the Christmas Tree Cluster is just below it with the top of the tree just below the point of the cone.

The Fox Fur Nebula is center left and the bright star at the center is S Mon. NGC 2264 is located about 2500 light years away in the constellation Monoceros.

The image is a mixture of RGB and Ha data -- about 10 hours of each.

Rio Rancho NM Bortle 5 zone,

Dec 15, 2023 - Jan 17, 2024

William Optics Redcat 51

ZWO 183mm pro

ZWO 30mm f/4 mini guide scope and ZWO 120 Mini

Optolong R G B and Ha filters

ZWO ASI Air Pro

Sky-Watcher HEQ5

Darks GraXpert dithering

Gain 111 at -10C

Processed in DSS and PS

Think the focus was off a bit, some of the stars around the edge were decidedly blobby. Either that or the camera wasn't seated properly.

Michael L Hyde (c) 2016

Recent clear and frosty nights have given me some decent data collection on this target. This is the Christmas Tree Cluster and the Cone Nebula (NGC2264) located in the constellation of Monoceros. The red Christmas tree shape is clear, adorned with its blue tinged open star cluster masquerading as the baubles. The Cone Nebula sits at the top of the 'tree' but is inverted in this shot. Deep within the clouds of gas and dust are the ingredients for producing new stars, which burn a fiercely hot bright blue. The red hue in the image is a result of gas clouds glowing as they are hit by ultra-violet light emanating from the newborn stars. The region is about 30 lightyears across and sits 2600 lightyears from Earth, not far in the sky from the Orion constellation.

William Optics GT81

William Optics Flat 6AIII

ZWO ASI2600MC Pro

ZWO ASI Air Pro

Skywatcher HEQ 5 Pro

Optolong L-eXtreme filter

117 x 300s lights, 40 darks, 50 flats and 50 dark flats at gain 100 and -10C.

Stacked in DSS, processed with PS and LR.

2,700 light-years away. This is 25 hours of integration time using SHO and RGB filters.

Space Art!

Esprit 120mm, QHY 268M, Optolong SHO and RGB, SW EQ6R-pro mount.

More info in: Magical Universe. Visit: Flickr Astronomy Expo

Christmas Tree cluster

This colour image of the region known as NGC 2264, an area of sky that includes the sparkling blue baubles of the Christmas Tree star cluster and the Cone Nebula, was created from data taken through four different filters (B, V, R and H-alpha) with the Wide Field Imager at ESO's La Silla Observatory, 2400 m high in the Atacama Desert of Chile in the foothills of the Andes. The image shows a region of space about 30 light-years across.

Credit: ESO

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One of my first target with a One Shot Color Camera. I wasted one night before that because of a bad focus, but the second night was the good one.

It's also the first time I try 3 min Exposures, and i'm very pleased with the Result.

My Canon Eos 60D do the job, but my 533MC is on another level!!

Camera : ZWO ASI 533 MC

Main Scope : William Optics Redcat 51

Guide Camera : ZWO ASI 120MM Mini

Guide Scope : ZWO Mini Guide Scope

Mount : Skywatcher Star Adventurer

Filter : Optolong L-Extreme

Others : ZWO ASIAIR PRO

Lights : 60 x 180 sec

Darks : 60 ~ Flats: 100 ~ Bias: 100

The Cone and Fox Fur Nebulae and the Christmas Tree Cluster. Captured over the last three weeks through my Esprit150/SX46 and Esprit100/ASI1600 on a Mesu 200. Three hours each RGB and 17hours of Ha, processed in APP, Pixinsight and Photoshop

Christmas tree nebula, NGC 2264, captured 2016-04-26, parallel exposure, resulting in a HaRGB final image. Version with stars removed.

RGB: 40 x 90 sec, Hyperstar 14", IDAS-V4 filter, Sony A7s (CentralDS modded and cooled), ISO 3200,

h-Alpha: 28 x 210 sec, RASA 11", StarLight Xpress SX-36 mono, h-alpha Highspeed filter,

ASA DDm85 mount, Tenerife 1180 m altitude

The Cone Nebula is located in the constellation Monoceros, the Unicorn. It's pointing towards the prominent Christmas Tree Cluster (so named because it looks like a Christmas tree when viewed). It was discovered by William Herschel on December 26, 1785.

Telescope: William Optics ZenithStar 81 Refractor

Mount: Losmandy GM811G

Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI 2600MC Pro

Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme Dual-band Filter

Site: Elk Grove, California, USA Bortle 6

Processing: DSS, siriL, Photoshop 2020, DXO PhotoLab 4

Calibration Files: None

Guiding: None

The Cone Nebula and Christmas Tree Cluster (NGC2264)

Imaged in Ha from London on 2nd and 4th January 2017

4 hrs integration, Atik314L+ camera and TS65 Quad Astrograph

Captured and processed in Maxim DL and Photoshop CC

Here is my first attempt at NGC 2264 also known as the Christmas Tree Cluster and the Cone Nebula. This is a combination of images from several imaging sessions in March 2018 totaling two hours and six minutes. A bit over processed and still need to add more time to it.

NGC 2264 is found in the constellation Monoceros and is about 2,600 light-years from Earth.

Tech Specs: Sky-Watcher Esprit 120mm ED Triplet APO Refractor, Celestron CGEM-DX mount, Canon 6D stock camera, 126 x 60 second exposures at ISO 3200, imaged in March 2018. Location: The Dark Side Observatory in Weatherly, PA.

The Cone Nebula (NGC 2264) region contains an open star cluster known as the Christmas Tree Cluster, as it forms a sparkling triangular shape that makes it look rather like a festive fir. The Cone Nebula is a dark nebula located 2,500 lightyears away in the Monoceros constellation. The nebula is 7 lightyears long and is packed full of dense gas and dust - the ingredients necessary for star formation - making it a perfect stellar factory. This tempestuous deep-sky region contains scorching hot young stars that are eroding and carving out the dark nebula, also emitting blasts of powerful ultraviolet light that can be seen illuminating the edges of the dense cosmic cloud.