Explanation:
This interstellar beast
is formed of cosmic dust and
gas interacting
with the energetic light and winds from hot young stars.
The shape, visual texture, and color, combine to give the region
the popular name
Fox Fur Nebula.
The characteristic blue glow on the left is dust reflecting light
from the bright star
S Mon,
just beyond the left edge of
the image.
Mottled pink and brown areas
are a combination of the cosmic dust and reddish emission from
ionizedhydrogen gas.
S Mon is part of a young
open cluster of stars,
NGC 2264, located
about 2,500
light years away toward the
constellation of
Monoceros,
just north of the Cone Nebula.
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