Far away from Earth, a cluster of stars forms the shape of a Christmas tree. Even farther away from our planet, another star cluster seems to form a Christmas wreath. These cosmic decorations are both very young, and NASA has recently released pictures of both.
According to BBC, the Christmas tree, or NGC 2264, is located about 2,500 light-years away from Earth. The stars in the Christmas tree cluster are both smaller and larger than our Sun – ranging from one tenth to seven times the mass of the Sun. Because the stars in NGC 2264 are relatively young, aged between one and five million years old, they give off strong flares. In comparison, our Sun is thought to be around 4.6 billion years old.
Infrared telescopes highlight the nebula green and color the bright stars inside blue and white to resemble baubles or ornaments. This cluster is part of a larger constellation that includes the Cone Nebula, Snowflake Cluster, and Fox Fur Nebula.
The Christmas wreath, or NGC 602, is approximately about 200,000 light-years away, an immense distance that is completely impractical to think of traveling. NGC 602 lies on the outskirts of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), one of the closest galaxies to the Milky Way.
The image combines X-rays from NASA’s Chandra telescope and infrared data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The JWST data highlights the outline of the wreath green. Chandra X-ray observations capture the glow of the young, massive stars inside the cluster, coloring them red and blue. These energetic stars light up the wreath with festive cheer, creating a stunning cosmic ornament.
In conclusion, these star clusters are both very important. Star clusters can unlock the mystery of how stars are born. Star clusters are groups of hundreds to millions of stars that provide astronomers with crucial insight into stellar evolution through comparisons of stars’ ages and compositions. For example, the Christmas wreath, NGC 602, is considered to be a valuable site to study star formation. Also, it can give scientists important information about how stars are born and how they develop.