Christmas in the Stars
Whether by divine yuletide direction or curious chaotic convergence, the Christmas Tree Cluster offers a symbol of the day with a familiar arbor likeness. A collection of stars in the constellation Monoceros (the Unicorn), this object was discovered by William Herschel in the late 18th century. In this picture from the Wide Field Imager (WFI) attached to the 2.2-meter Max-Planck Society/ESO telescope at the La Silla observatory in Chile, nebulae containing gas and dust are visible that serve as the birthplace of stars, a fitting analog to the celebrated birth of the Christan Savior on this day. Merry Christmas to all from Utah Skies.
Utah Skies






