NGC 2264 is the designation number of the New
General Catalogue that identifies two astronomical objects as a
single object. NGC 2264 is sometimes referred to as the
Christmas Tree Cluster or the Cone Nebula. However, the
designation of NGC 2264 in the New General Catalogue refers to
both objects and not the cluster alone. NGC 2264 is a complex
jumble of cosmic gas and dust about 2,700 light-years distant
and mixes emission nebulae excited by energetic light from
newborn stars with dark interstellar dust clouds. The wide vista
spans about 1.5 degrees or nearly 3 full moons, covering 70
light-years.
