The Monkey's Head Nebula taken during Christmas week 2013 is in reality a huge cloud of Hydrogen gas with a large open star cluster inside. It is the star cluster that has the designation NGC 2175. The nebula's designation is Sharpless 2-252. The star cluster inside the nebula was discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654 and independently discovered by Bruhns. NGC 2175 is at a distance of about 6,350 light years away from Earth.