Nasa: Christmas tree cluster of young stars found in the Milky Way

Check out this Christmas tree in the stars!

This is the Christmas tree cluster, official name NGC 2264, captured by the National Science Foundation's WUYN 0.9-meter telescope on Kitt Peak, Arizona, in the US.

The gas in the nebula has been highlighted by scientists in green to look like a tree, and infrared data showing the stars has been coloured white and blue - to appear as baubles and lights.

The cluster of young stars that creates the shape of a cosmic tree is found in our Milky Way about 2,500 light-years away from Earth.

Because the stars in NGC 2264 are comparatively young, aged between one and five million years old, they give off strong flares.

The stars in the Christmas tree cluster are both smaller and larger than our sun - ranging from one tenth to seven times the mass of the Sun.