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SlideShow Image 16 / 39

Fox Fur nebula in Monoceros

auteur: R.Jay GaBany/Novapix

référence: a-neb22-64033

Image Size 300 DPI: 23 * 32 cm

The region around the 4.7 magnitude star S Mon is a fascinating mixture of red fluorescent hydrogen and dark, obscuring dust lanes. Some dust patches are close enough to bright stars to reflect light from them; these appear blue for the same reason that the day-time sky is blue - because some of the interstellar particles preferentially scatter blue light. The dust is mixed with gas and this affects the appearance of the emission nebulae, giving some of the faintest a curious 'fox fur' texture in this photograph.
S Mon is part of a young open cluster of stars named NGC 2264 located about 2600 light years away, just north of the Cone nebula.

Keywords for this photo:

2008 - ASTRONOMY - CHRISTMAS TREE - DIFFUSE NEBULA - FOX FUR - MONOCEROS - NEBULA - NGC 2264 - OPEN CLUSTER - STAR - STAR CLUSTER - STAR FORMATION - YOUNG STAR -