MAROKO133 Eksklusif ai: Cosmic Christmas tree: Star cluster 2,700 light-years away shows a

📌 MAROKO133 Eksklusif ai: Cosmic Christmas tree: Star cluster 2,700 light-years aw

Astronomers are drawing attention to a Christmas Tree-shaped cluster of stars glowing inside one of the Milky Way’s most active stellar nurseries.

Known as the Cosmic Christmas Tree, the cluster sits within NGC 2264, roughly 2,700 light-years from Earth.

The region lies in the faint constellation Monoceros, close to the Milky Way’s dense midplane, where gas and dust remain plentiful.

The nickname comes from a triangular pattern formed by young stars. When viewed through telescopes, the shape closely resembles a Christmas tree.

The visual charm hides an intense environment. Inside these clouds, stars continue to form, release energy, and reshape their surroundings.

Astronomers value this region because it captures multiple stages of stellar birth in one place.

Dense clouds collapse. Young stars ignite.

Their radiation then pushes back against the material that created them.

Glowing gas and dust

NGC 2264 contains vast clouds of hydrogen gas mixed with thick cosmic dust. As newborn stars heat up, they emit strong ultraviolet radiation.

That energy excites nearby hydrogen atoms, causing large regions to glow red.

Astronomers classify these areas as emission nebulae. Dark dust lanes weave through them, blocking background starlight and creating sharp contrasts.

These dust clouds do more than absorb light. When they sit close to hot stars, they scatter blue wavelengths instead.

That process produces reflection nebulae.

These softer blue regions trace dust illuminated by nearby stars. Together, red emission and blue reflection give the Cosmic Christmas Tree its layered appearance.

The mix of gas and dust supplies fresh material for future star formation. At the same time, radiation from existing stars slowly erodes the clouds. This balance determines how long star birth can continue.

The Christmas Tree cluster

Near the center of the region shines S Monocerotis, a massive and unstable star whose brightness changes over time. Dust surrounding it reflects its light, creating a noticeable blue glow.

Above this star, the Christmas Tree cluster takes shape. Dozens of young stars trace a loose triangular outline.

Most formed from the same parent cloud and remain only a few million years old.

These stars do not sit quietly. Their radiation heats nearby gas. Stellar winds carve cavities into surrounding clouds.

Over time, this activity clears space around the cluster and slows further star formation nearby.

At the northern edge of the region rises the Cone Nebula. It appears as a tall pillar of gas and dust with a sharply defined tip.

Radiation from nearby stars erodes its surface, leaving behind a dense core.

Below it spreads the Fox Fur Nebula, named for its tangled, textured appearance.

Bright filaments glow between darker pockets of dust. Stellar winds constantly reshape its structure.

The full region spans about 1.5 degrees in Earth’s sky.

That equals roughly three full moons placed side by side. At its distance, that view translates to nearly 80 light-years across.

The Cosmic Christmas Tree offers a seasonal visual. More importantly, it provides astronomers with a wide-angle view of how stars form, interact, and transform their environment on a massive scale.

🔗 Sumber: interestingengineering.com

📌 MAROKO133 Breaking ai: Google may finally allow users to change Gmail addresses

Google may finally be loosening one of its most rigid account rules.

An official Google support document suggests users could soon change their @gmail.com address without creating a new account.

If rolled out widely, the shift would upend how Google treats digital identity across its ecosystem.

The document surfaced via the Google Pixel Hub Telegram group. It appears only in Hindi for now.

That detail strongly points to an India-first rollout. Google also notes that access will arrive gradually, not all at once.

Still, this is not speculation or leaked code. The information comes directly from Google’s own support infrastructure. That alone makes it notable.

Long-standing limitation

Since Gmail launched, Google tied each account to a permanent email address. Users could rename profiles, but the actual @gmail.com ID stayed frozen.

That address also serves as the login for YouTube, Drive, Photos, and other services.

Changing it meant starting over.

Many users accepted outdated usernames or awkward handles simply to avoid account migration. Others created secondary accounts and treated them as workarounds.

Google never offered a clean solution for personal Gmail users.

The new document signals a clear break from that model.

Google says users will be able to replace their Gmail address while keeping the same account. The change leaves all existing data untouched.

Files, photos, subscriptions, and settings remain exactly where they are.

Even more significant, Google confirms that the old Gmail address will continue working.

Emails sent to both addresses will land in the same inbox. In effect, one account gains two Gmail identities.

The feature comes with restrictions.

Google will allow Gmail address changes once every 12 months. Each account gets a maximum of three changes in total.

After switching, users cannot register another Gmail address for that account during the waiting period.

These limits mirror Google’s cautious approach to identity changes.

Gmail addresses anchor account recovery, security alerts, and service access. Frequent changes could increase abuse risks.

For comparison, services like Outlook and Proton Mail already support aliases.

Google Workspace users can also add alternate addresses.

However, those options sit behind paid or managed plans.

This marks the first time standard Gmail accounts appear set to gain similar flexibility.

Security concerns emerge

The timing creates an obvious risk.

Cybercriminals often exploit confusion around new features. A Gmail address change impacts login credentials across Google services.

That makes it an attractive phishing target.

Users should treat any message urging them to “confirm” or “update” a Gmail address with suspicion. Links asking for login details almost certainly indicate fraud.

Google does not announce major account changes through random emails or third-party messages.

Legitimate options appear only inside official account settings.

Users can check availability manually by visiting ‘my.account.google.com/google-account-email.’

If the rollout has not reached them, the option will not appear.

Google has not formally announced the feature yet. Details may change before a global release.

Even so, the document points to a rare shift.

For the first time, Google seems ready to let users move on from old Gmail identities without starting from scratch.

🔗 Sumber: interestingengineering.com