US space agency Nasa has released a spectacular image of a formation in space shaped like a Christmas tree.
The formation, named the Christmas Tree Cluster, has a faint triangle-shape and stems making its structure resemble the popular festive staple that is decorated in homes around the world.
Researchers at Nasa compiled renderings using data from telescopes – including the agency's own Chandra X-ray Observatory and the National Science Foundation WIYN – to show the cluster in a bright green colour.
They also used infrared data from the Two Micron All Sky Survey, an astronomical survey of the sky in infrared light, to animate the stars within the cluster with glowing white and blue dots that resemble baubles.
According to Nasa, the nebula – a cloud of dust and gas in space – is situated about 2,500 light-years away from Earth in the Milky Way Galaxy.
"The stars in NGC 2264 are both smaller and larger than the Sun, ranging from some with less than a tenth the mass of the Sun to others containing seven solar masses," Nasa said.
The Christmas Tree Cluster is located in the constellation Monoceros and is part of the star-forming region NGC 2264, which also contains the Cone Nebula, the Fox Fur Nebula and the Snowflake Cluster.
It was discovered by the German-born British astronomer William Herschel on January 18, 1784.
There are also numerous constellations that resemble shapes and animals, including the Scorpius constellation which is shaped like a scorpion and is one of the brightest constellations in the night sky.
Christmas services around the world – in pictures
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Christmas Day church services at St Mary’s Catholic church in Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Pope Francis celebrates Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. Reuters -
Members of the clergy attend the Christmas midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity compound in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank. AFP -
Jakarta's Archbishop Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo waits to lead the Christmas Mass at Jakarta Cathedral in Jakarta. AFP -
Christian devotees pray at a Christmas Mass in St. Patricks church in Chennai. AFP -
People attend a Christmas service at Yoido Full Gospel Church in central Seoul, South Korea. EPA -
A child sits by a bonfire while members of the Ohkay Owingeh pueblo participate in the Matachinas dance in celebration of Christmas, San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico. AFP -
A man dressed as Santa Claus in front of the Sydney Opera House, as part of Christmas Day celebrations for the annual Sydney to Hobart yacht race. AFP -
Christmas Eve Mass at Cathedrale Saint-Pierre, in Rabat, Morocco. EPA -
Worshippers sing Christmas carols at the Saint Mary Draperis Roman Catholic Church at the Beyoglu district of Istanbul. AFP -
A Kosovar child dressed as an angel prays during Christmas Eve Mass, at Mother Teresa Cathedral in Pristina. AFP -
A man passes by a symbolic Christmas tree made from used artillery shells transported to the Ukrainian capital from the front line, Kyiv, Ukraine. Reuters -
Worshippers of the Legio Maria African Church Mission during the Christmas Eve vigil Mass in a church near Ugunja. AFP -
A man dressed as Santa Claus walks on 5th Avenue on Christmas Eve in New York, US. Reuters
