Photo of the day: Snowflakes cluster for the New Year and the memory of the Spitzer telescope
Only about a week is left until the New Year, and on this occasion, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) offers to admire a magnificent picture of the so-called space Christmas tree.
The photo shows the Snowflake Cluster, or NGC 2264. It is an open cluster of stars associated with a nebula in the constellation of Unicorn. The structure is located at a distance of approximately 2600 light-years from us.
In the area of the centre of the image, a scattering of red “lights” is visible – these are young stars that have formed relatively recently. The age of the luminaries is estimated at about 100 thousand years.
Below you can see a full resolution image of the Snowflakes Cluster (click to enlarge). A mesmerizing image was transmitted to Earth from the Spitzer space telescope back in 2008.
It should be noted that the Spitzer Observatory, launched in 2003, ceased operations on January 30 this year. Over the years of service, the apparatus has collected a huge amount of scientific information, the significance of which cannot be overestimated.
