E-Paper
NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory spots ‘Cosmic Christmas Tree’ in space
“It’s a celestial holiday delight!” posted an X user while reacting to the picture of ‘Cosmic Christmas Tree’ by NASA.
Space agency NASA took to X to share a picture of a ‘Cosmic Christmas Tree’ taken by its Chandra X-Ray Observatory. The picture shows a cluster of young stars at about 2,500 light-years from Earth emitting a bright green colour.
Read| Nasa sends cat video from deep space. Why it is a historic milestone
While sharing the picture, NASA wrote, “It’s beginning to look a lot like cosmos. Our @ChandraXray Observatory recently spotted the blue-and-white lights that decorate the ‘Christmas Tree Cluster,’ a swarm of stars and gas some 2,500 light-years from Earth.”
This group of stars is known as NGC 2264 and is located inside the Milky Way. The stars are between one and five million years old. Some of them are smaller than the Sun, while others are relatively larger, ranging from one-tenth to seven times the mass of our Sun, according to NASA.
“The Christmas Tree Cluster, a collection of stars set against a gaseous green nebula. The nebula is triangular-shaped with spiky projections, resembling a Christmas tree, and dotted with blue and white stars that look like Christmas ornaments. Stars and other cosmic objects shine across the rest of the image,” NASA described the image.
The space agency further added, “The cluster’s resemblance to a Christmas tree has been enhanced through image rotation and color choices.”
Take a look at the picture here:
The picture was shared on December 19. It has since been viewed over 4.6 lakh times and still counting. A few even took to the comments section of the post to share their thoughts.
Check out how people are reacting to this picture:
“Makes us feel like rockin’ around,” read a comment from Lockheed Martin Space, an aerospace company.
An individual wrote, “Someone tell the Christmas Tree Cluster they’re a bit early on the holiday lights trend! Must be feeling extra festive this year.”
“‘Tis the season to be stargazing!” added another.
A third commented, “That's an interesting question. We wish upon a star, what do stars wish upon?”
“It’s a celestial holiday delight!” posted a fourth.
A fifth shared, “Wow, amazing.”
“That would make a great screen saver,” expressed a sixth.
What are your thoughts on this?
