Astronomers have spotted a "wreath" and a "Christmas tree" in space. Photo
It seems that the entire universe is preparing for Christmas. Astronomers have spotted clusters in space that look like a festive wreath and a Christmas tree.
The new image of NGC 602, which combines data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the James Webb Space Telescope, resembles a wreath of evergreen branches. And NGC 2264, because of its special shape, is called a "Christmas tree cluster," TechExplorist writes.
According to astronomers, in the photo provided by Chandra and Webb, you can clearly see a dark ring-like shape around the cluster of stars. Interestingly, this dense dust cloud is presented in festive colors.
The brilliant red areas in the image show the overlap of X-rays from thousands of smaller stars in the cluster.
Source: CXC/ESA/Webb,NASA&CSA
The green colors and soft feathery edges of the ring cloud make it look like a wreath of evergreen branches. The red splashes, which represent X-rays, add shadow and help highlight the different layers within this cloud, the researchers say.
The image is also filled with bright, colorful lights in blue, gold, white, orange, and red, representing clusters. Some of the lights sparkle with sharp, star-like spikes, while others shine with a soft light, astronomers describe.
The researchers advise taking a closer look at this festive image to see that many of the shining dots are spiral-shaped, as they are distant galaxies.
In addition to the cosmic wreath, another star cluster, NGC 2264, known as the "Christmas tree cluster," was also studied. According to experts, it consists of young stars aged from one to five million years.
The "herringbone cluster" NGC 2264 is located at a distance of approximately 2500 light years from Earth.
Source: NASA/CXC/SAO; M. Clow
The new image of NGC 2264 combines Chandra X-ray data with optical images taken by astrophotographer Michael Clow using a telescope in Arizona.
In this image, you can clearly see the delicate green clouds in the shape of cones similar to evergreen trees. Small specks of white, blue, purple, and red light, which are stars in the cluster, are scattered throughout the cloud, turning it into a festive cosmic Christmas tree, the researchers say.
These discoveries not only create a festive mood on the eve of the Christmas and New Year holidays but also give astronomers a new insight into how stars are born, live, and die in space and how the universe has changed over billions of years, scientists emphasize.
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