NGC 2264: A Christmas Tree Lights Up in Monoceros!

NGC 2264 is an open star cluster in the constellation Monoceros. It’s best viewed in winter.

NGC 2264, also known as the Christmas Tree cluster, also features another astronomical feature called the Cone Nebula. It’s a 4th magnitude bright and large cluster consisting of around 80 stars. Large but faint nebulosity makes for a nice fabric in which stars lie. The cluster spreads out nearly 20 light-years. William Herschel discovered the cluster on January 18, 1784, while the nebula was discovered nearly a year later on December 26, 1785.

My Observations

Compared to my observation on January 15, tonight’s view of the Christmas Tree Cluster is better! For one, I’m seeing more of the structure and fainter stars. Also, and more importantly to me, the patch of nebulosity is larger and a little brighter. As expected, I’m bringing out more of the nebula due to the use of my O III filter.

Also viewed on January 15, 2021, at 11:12 p.m.: Much like M42 Orion Nebula, this cluster is stunning in photographs. As an observational object, NGC 2264 doesn’t match the stunning power of M42, but it still impresses. The transparency rating tonight is average tonight, so perhaps that’s why I’m not seeing as much nebulosity as I was expecting. There is a small patch of nebulosity around the brightest star.

Also viewed on January 28, 2022, at 9 p.m.: Tonight I’m redrawing the cluster. The sketch is the one posted on this page above. This cluster is always a welcome sight. I have nothing to add to my previous observations other than to note the warm yellow star that stands out beautifully among the other white and bluish-white stars.

Key Stats

Constellation	Monoceros
Best Viewing	Winter
Visual Magnitude	+4.1
Absolute Magnitude	-5.1
Distance from Earth	2,200 ly
Diameter	25 ly
Apparent Size	39 arcmin
Milky Way Location	Orion Arm
My Viewing Grade	B+

Sources and Notes

• Photo of NGC 2264 by Ljubinko Jovanovic and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

• Charles Messier Observations: SEDS Messier Database
  
• Christmas Tree Cluster, Cone Nebula, Stellar Snowflake Cluster