The nebula seen in the ESO’s image is located hundreds of light years away from Earth in the constellation Monoceros.
As 2022 draws to a close, several institutions responsible for studying the mysteries of space have unveiled stunning images depicting some of the more spectacular phenomena that can be found far beyond our home planet.
One such picture was released by the European Southern Observatory and shows the Cone Nebula, which is located about 2,500 light-years away in a “star-forming region of space” designated as NGC 2264 in the constellation Monoceros.
“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,” the photo’s description states.
The picture was taken with the focal reducer and low dispersion spectrograph 2 on ESO’s Very Large Telescope, and was released to mark ESO’s 60th anniversary.
