NASA Discovers Enigmatic ‘Cosmic Wreath’ in Stellar Birthplace

Christmas-themed visuals are limitless, even in outer space.

NASA has made a connection between a celestial arrangement and a festive wreath, referring to the newly discovered star and dust cluster as a “cosmic wreath.”

“‘Tis the season… to look into the cosmos,” the space agency remarked in an X post on Tuesday.

About this time a year ago, NASA published an image of NGC 2264, another star grouping noted for its resemblance to holiday foliage which was rightly called “Christmas tree cluster.”

Information gathered from both the Chandra X-ray Observatory and James Webb Space Telescope was unified to illustrate NGC 602, a star cluster situated on the periphery of a nearby galaxy approximately 200,000 light years from our planet.

The orange, yellow, green, and blue ring-like structure of the “cosmic wreath” originated from the Webb telescope, while the red X-rays from Chandra depict the young and massive stars illuminating the wreath from the interior.

The elemental makeup of this celestial body, unlike the sun and most of the Milky Way, bears similarities, if not identical, to stars identified billions of years ago in a “considerably younger” universe, according to the space agency.

“Since ancient times, wreaths have represented the cycle of life, death, and rebirth,” the space agency stated in a press release. “Thus, it is fitting that one of the prime locations for astronomers to gain insights about the stellar lifecycle resembles a colossal holiday wreath itself.”

NASA discovered another festive-themed star cluster last year

Officially designated as NGC 2264, the “Christmas tree cluster” is situated around 2,500 light years from Earth within our own Milky Way galaxy.

The collection of stars, whose ages range from about one to five million years, places them on the younger side, appearing to create the silhouette of a green-toned tree – adorned with luminous stellar lights.

Each star comprising the “Christmas tree cluster” is both smaller and larger than the sun, with some possessing less than a tenth of its mass and others containing around seven solar masses.

Data obtained from the Chandra X-ray Observatory alongside optical information gathered by Michael Clow, an astrophotographer in Arizona, were merged to form the festive image.

The resulting composite image presents a stunning display of stellar lights that – when enhanced in certain hues and displayed from a particular angle – mimics a sparkling Christmas tree.