This was
your sky.

The Snowflake Cluster versus the Cone Nebula

Strange shapes and textures can be found in the neighborhood of the Cone Nebula. These patterns result from the tumultuous unrest that accompanies the formation of the open cluster of stars known as NGC 2264, the Snowflake cluster. This detailed image, taken in two colors of infrared light by the Spitzer Space Telescope, helps us understand this process. Bright stars from the Snowflake cluster dot the field, heating up and destroying the gas and dust around them.