The Fox Fur Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright:
John Vermette
This interstellar
canine 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,
the bright star just below the top edge of
the featured image.
Textured red and black areas are a combination of the cosmic dust and reddish emission from
ionized hydrogen 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 the Unicorn
(Monoceros).