The Christmas Tree Cluster, located in our Milky Way about 2,500 light-years away from Earth, is a cluster of young stars between 1 million and 5 million years old. These stars are seen here as blue and white lights, representing the X-rays they give off that are detected by Chandra. They’re surrounded by swirls of gas—the “pine needles” of the tree—with green representing light in the visible spectrum. In the first image, optical data (in green and violet) was captured by astrophotographer Michael Clow from his telescope in Arizona in November 2024. In the second image of the cluster, released in 2023, optical data (in green) was observed by the National Science Foundation’s WIYN 0.9-meter telescope on Kitt Peak in Arizona. The images have been rotated clockwise by about 160 degrees from the astronomer’s standard of North pointing upward, so that it appears like the top of the tree is toward the top of the image. Image descriptions: 1. Wispy green clouds in a conical shape strongly resemble an evergreen tree. Tiny specks of white, blue, purple, and red light, stars within the cluster, dot the structure, turning the cloud into a festive, cosmic Christmas tree. 2. Wispy green lines and shapes resemble the boughs and needles of an evergreen tree, with glowing lights of blue and white - stars within the cluster - scattered across it. The peak of the tree is at the top center of the image. Stars are seen in the foreground and background as gleaming specks of white light against the blackness of space. 🎄🤗 Merry Christmas