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A very hilarious photo from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory shows that even space can add some Christmas magic to the holiday season.
NASA releases new images of young star cluster Known as NGC 2264 Perfect for the holiday season, like a Christmas tree decorated with ornaments and lights. The new composite image uses his X-rays detected by Chandra and optical data from his WIYN 0.9-meter telescope at the National Science Foundation in Kitt Peak, Arizona.
Christmas message from space
This composite image shows the Christmas Tree star cluster, known as NGC 2264, more than 2,500 light-years from Earth. (Image credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO, optical: TA Rector (NRAO/AUI/NSF and NOIRLab/NSF/AURA) and BA Wolpa (NOIRLab/NSF/AURA), infrared: NASA/NSF/IPAC/ CalTech /University of Massachusetts; Image processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare & J.Major) (NASA)
This cluster is about 1.5 million years old and located about 2,500 light-years from Earth. The star in the image is considered “young” because it is estimated to be between 1 billion and 5 billion years old, compared to the age of our Sun, which is 5 billion years old.
The space agency says the star cluster resembles a Christmas tree due to its choice of colors and rotation. Data from ground-based telescopes shows the gas in the nebula as green, resembling the “pine needles” of a tree, NASA said. Meanwhile, data from the 2-micron all-sky survey shows that stars in the foreground and background shine like diamonds or strings of lights in the sky.
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An animated version of the image below shows the young, “feisty” star’s flashing blue and white light.
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NASA’s Chandra X-ray Space Telescope has been operating in space for more than 23 years since its launch on the Space Shuttle. The spacecraft is considered one of NASA’s “Great Observatories,” which includes the Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and now the James Webb Space Telescope.