A Mysterious Cone Nebula
Tomorrow's picture: Von Braun's Wheel
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (GMU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA).
Sometimes the simplest shapes are the hardest to explain. For example, the
origin of the mysterious cone-shaped region located just below the center
of the above picture remains a mystery. The dark region clearly contains
much
dust which blocks light from the
emission nebula and
open cluster NGC
2264 behind it.
One hypothesis holds that the
cone is formed by
wind
particles from an energetic source blowing past
the Bok globule at the head of the cone.