1 min read

The Cone Nebula (NGC 2264)

A wide, dark pillar surrounded by wispy red tendrils extends from lower left to upper right across most of the frame. The cone-shaped pillar narrows gradually to a smooth, rounded top.

About the Object

R.A. Position
R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
06h 41m 6.0s
Dec. Position
Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
09° 52' 59.99"
Constellation
ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
Monoceros
Distance
DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
About 2,500 light-years (770 parsecs)

About the Data

Data Description
Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.
Principal Astronomers: NASA and the ACS Science Team (H. Ford, G. Illingworth, M. Clampin, G. Hartig, T. Allen, K. Anderson, F. Bartko, N. Benitez, J. Blakeslee, R. Bouwens, T. Broadhurst, R. Brown, C. Burrows, . Campbell, E. Cheng, N. Cross, P. Feldman, M. Franx, D. Golimowski, C. Gronwall, R. Kimble, J. Krist, M. Lesser, D. Magee, A. Martel, W. J. McCann, G. Meurer, G. Miley, M. Postman, P. Rosati, M. Sirianni, W. Sparks, P. Sullivan, H. Tran, Z. Tsvetanov, R. White, and R. Woodruff)
Instrument
InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
HST>ACS/WFC
Exposure Dates
Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
April 2, 2002, Exposure Time: 3.4 hours
Filters
FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
F435W (B), F658N (H-alpha), F814W (I)

Object Name
Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
Cone Nebula, NGC 2264
Object Description
Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
Gaseous Pillar in the Milky Way Galaxy
Release Date
April 30, 2002
Science Release
Hubble’s New Camera Delivers Breathtaking Views of the Universe
Read the release
Credits
NASA, H. Ford (JHU), G. Illingworth (UCSC/LO), M.Clampin (STScI), G. Hartig (STScI), the ACS Science Team, and ESA; The ACS Science Team: H. Ford, G. Illingworth, M. Clampin, G. Hartig, T. Allen, K. Anderson, F. Bartko, N. Benitez, J. Blakeslee, R. Bouwens, T. Broadhurst, R. Brown, C. Burrows, D. Campbell, E. Cheng, N. Cross, P. Feldman, M. Franx, D. Golimowski, C. Gronwall, R. Kimble, J. Krist, M. Lesser, D. Magee, A. Martel, W. J. McCann, G. Meurer, G. Miley, M. Postman, P. Rosati, M. Sirianni, W. Sparks, P. Sullivan, H. Tran, Z. Tsvetanov, R. White, and R. Woodruff.

Downloads

4427 × 4257
jpg (1.25 MB)
4427 × 4257
tif (35.97 MB)
800 × 769
jpg (32.32 KB)
200 × 200
jpg (7.23 KB)
400 × 384
jpg (13.2 KB)

Related Images & Videos

Spiral galaxy with a long tail-like structure.

The Tadpole Galaxy: Distorted Victim of Cosmic Collision

Against a stunning backdrop of thousands of galaxies, this odd-looking galaxy with the long streamer of stars appears to be racing through space, like a runaway pinwheel firework. This picture of the galaxy UGC 10214 was taken by the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), which was...

Cone Nebula (NGC 2264): Star-Forming Pillar of Gas and Dust

Resembling a nightmarish beast rearing its head from a crimson sea, this monstrous object is actually an innocuous pillar of gas and dust. Called the Cone Nebula (NGC 2264) - so named because, in ground-based images, it has a conical shape - this giant pillar resides in a...

The Omega Nebula: Hotbed of Star Formation

A watercolor fantasyland? No. It's actually an image of the center of the Omega Nebula, a hotbed of newly born stars wrapped in colorful blankets of glowing gas and cradled in an enormous cold, dark hydrogen cloud. This stunning picture was taken by the newly installed Advanced...

The Mice (NGC 4676): Colliding Galaxies With Tails of Stars and Gas

The Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), the newest camera on NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, has captured a spectacular pair of galaxies engaged in a celestial dance of cat and mouse or, in this case, mouse and mouse. Located 300 million light-years away in the constellation Coma...

Rich Background of Galaxies Behind the Tadpole Galaxy

The Omega Nebula (Swan Nebula/M17)

"The Mice" (NGC 4676): Colliding Galaxies Stream Stars and Gas

A collage of four "Early Release Observation" images captured by Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys

ACS ERO Collage

Jubilant astronomers unveiled humankind's most spectacular views of the universe, courtesy of the newly installed Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) aboard NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Among the suite of four ACS photographs to demonstrate the camera's capabilities is a...

Constellation Monoceros, Orion, Canis Major, Canis Minor; Location of the Cone Nebula

Cone Nebula with Outline of ACS Image

Constellation Sagittarius; Location of the Omega Nebula, M17

The Omega Nebula, M17 with Outline of ACS Image

"The Mice:" A Computer Simulation of Colliding Galaxies

Simulation of the formation of the galaxy known as "The Mice." The simulation depicts the merger of two spiral galaxies, pausing and rotating at the stage resembling the Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys image of "The Mice," dissolving to that image, and...

The Tadpole Galaxy, UGC 10214

Camera move on ACS image of "Tadpole Galaxy".