NASA Unveils Image of 'Christmas Tree Cluster' of Young Stars in Milky Way

Captured by the National Science Foundation's telescope and NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory, the cluster resembles a cosmic Christmas tree, with young stars emitting strong flares.

NASA has released a new image of a cluster of young stars, known as NGC 2264 or the 'Christmas Tree Cluster', located about 2,500 light-years away in our Milky Way.
The stars in the cluster are between one and five million years old, and vary in size, with some being smaller and others larger than our sun.
The image, captured by the National Science Foundation's WUYN 0.9-meter telescope and NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory, has been enhanced to resemble a Christmas tree, with the gas in the nebula appearing green and the stars appearing as white and blue lights.
The young stars in the cluster are known to give off strong flares, more powerful than those of our sun.
NASA's recent image release follows the unveiling of the 'Christmas Tree Galaxy Cluster' image last month, captured by the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope.