NASA Telescopes Give a Festive Twist to the Christmas Tree Cluster (Photos)

The holiday season isn’t just on Earth—it’s written in the stars! If you glance at NGC 2264, nicknamed the "Christmas Tree Cluster," you’ll quickly see why this cosmic wonder earns its festive name.  

NGC 2264 is known as the "Christmas tree cluster." (Image credit: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: Clow, M.; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare and K. Arcand)

Astrophotographer Michael Clow captured this celestial masterpiece in November from Arizona. Using optical data combined with X-ray observations from NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory, he created a dazzling image showcasing both the stars and the swirling gas clouds that connect them.  

Located 2,500 light-years away in the Milky Way, NGC 2264’s stars are young—just 1 to 5 million years old. In contrast, our Sun is a middle-aged 5 billion years old. The image paints the stars in multicolored hues, while the surrounding gas glows green, creating a breathtaking holiday display.  

NGC 602 has a wreath-like look to it. (Image credit: NASA/CXC; Infrared: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, P. Zeilder, E.Sabbi, A. Nota, M. Zamani; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare and K. Arcand)

NASA also revealed another festive scene: NGC 602, a star cluster on the edge of the Small Magellanic Cloud. This cluster, 200,000 light-years away, resembles a glowing wreath illuminated by "lights." Upon closer look, these aren’t just stars—they’re entire galaxies far beyond the cluster.  

To craft this image, NASA blended X-ray data from Chandra (showing young stars in red) with infrared data from the James Webb Space Telescope (showing vibrant dust clouds in orange, yellow, green, and blue).