The open cluster NGC 2264 in Monoceros is known as The Christmas Tree Cluster because the arrangement of stars, beginning with the bright blue star S Monocerotis at the bottom of the image as the trunk, resembles a Christmas tree. At the top of the tree lies the famous Cone Nebula. At lower left is another sculpted region of hydrogen-alpha nebulosity known as the Fox Fur Nebula. The blue reflection nebula has no particular name, but adds to the beauty of the scene.

This image was an Astronomy Magazine Picture of the Day on Astronomy.com in December, 2025.

Exposures: Ha:L;R:G:B = 460:40:40:40:40 = 10 hours, 40 minutes total exposure, completely unguided.