Day 23: Did you know about the Nebula Christmas Tree?

Just two more days to Christmas! It is the perfect opportunity to teach your child about the stars! 

The classical story of Christmas involves people looking out into the night sky, and many things happen a few nights before Christmas. Let's also look up into the stars on the 23rd day of 25 Days of Learning!   

Deep space is full of surprises and secrets waiting to be discovered. Scientists who study the stars are called Astronomers, and they have many ways to look deep into the inky blackness of space. While peering through the Spitzer Space Telescope, astronomers at NASA captured this image:

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/P.S. Teixeira (Center for Astrophysics)

It shows a massive dust cloud that eventually comes together and "gives birth" to stars. All of this happens far, far away; this star formation region is called NGC 2264. 

But why is this region special? At the bottom of the image, you can see what is called the Christmas Tree Cluster. It looks like a pine tree with a large star on top of it, much like any decorated Christmas tree!  

Interesting facts about the Christmas Tree Nebula

• The Christmas Tree cluster is a cluster of stars visible from Earth's Northern Hemisphere.  
• The Christmas Tree Cluster and Cone Nebula look like one structure but are separated by many light years. From our point of view eye, they appear to be in the same direction.
• On a cloudless night, the Christmas Tree Nebula can be seen as a sparkly bluish-white star system.
• The entire nebula emerged out of gas and dust millions of years ago.
• The entire dark, conical cloud of gas below the cluster of stars is also called the Cone Nebula.
• William Herschel discovered this cluster in the year 1784; he also discovered the planet Uranus.

The universe is a dark, beautiful place full of wonderful sights and a lot to learn. Sowing seeds of interest in subjects like space exploration early on could lead them down a path of research and scientific study.  

Head to byjuslearning.com to learn more about our Active Learning approach to Math, Language, and Reading for children between Pre-K and Grade 3

The image is referenced for informational purposes only. BYJU's Learning is not affiliated, associated, or endorsed by or in any way officially connected to NASA.
 

Source:

Todd, Iann. BBC Sky at Night Magazine. www.skyatnightmagazine. com/ space-science/ christmas-tree- cluster-ngc-2264. Accessed 2 Dec. 2022.