Object Information                                            Imaging Details

Discovered by William Hershel in 1784 (cluster) and 1785 (nebula), NGC 2264 resides in an active star forming region in Monoceros. The star cluster is readily visible in modest telescopes. The region is rich with nebulosity that should be fairly easy to see in a moderate sized (8"+) telescope. The dark cone nebula is just above the top of the tree, and is very difficult to see. Dark skies, larger apertures (10"+) and a nebular filter are probably required to see this elusive object.

This image was taken from my back yard in suburban Las Cruces on Winter Solstice night (2006).

Clicking on the above image will bring up a higher resolution (and somewhat more colorful) image. Clicking on the map gives a close-up map of the region around NGC 2264.

btw - You can see Hubbles Variable Nebula in the bottom right of the above image.