English: ESO’s 60th anniversary image: the Cone Nebula as seen by the VLT

The image shows the Cone Nebula at the centre of the picture taking up most of the frame. The shape of the dark nebulous cloud is that of a cone, pointing upwards. At the top and surrounding the cone are bright yellow stars of different sizes, tiny dots and bigger gassy spheres. To the left of the central figure, abstract dusty patterns are fading upwards. The top shines brightly, lit up by luminous stars. The Cone Nebula is part of a star-forming region of space, NGC 2264, about 2500 light-years away. Its pillar-like appearance is a perfect example of the shapes that can develop in giant clouds of cold molecular gas and dust, known for creating new stars. This dramatic new view of the nebula was captured with the FOcal Reducer and low dispersion Spectrograph 2 (FORS2) instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), and released on the occasion of ESO’s 60th anniversary.

Credit: ESO

Coordinates
Position (RA):	11 13 36.50
Position (Dec):	-61° 15' 12.43"
Field of view:	51.50 x 28.96 arcminutes
Orientation:	North is 7.6° right of vertical

Colours & filters      Band	TelescopeInfrared

J 1.25 μm Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy VIRCAM Infrared H 1.65 μm Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy VIRCAM Infrared K 2.15 μm Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy VIRCAM

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