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Credit & Copyright: Jean Dean
Explanation:
The Rosette Nebula, NGC 2237, is not the only cosmic cloud of gas and dust to
evoke the
imagery of
flowers, but
it is the most famous.
At the edge of a large
molecular cloud
in Monoceros some 5,000 light
years away, the petals of this cosmic rose are actually a
stellar nursery.
The lovely, symmetric shape is
sculpted
by the winds and
radiation from its central cluster of
hot young, O-type stars.
Stars in the
energetic
cluster, cataloged
as NGC 2244,
are only a few million years young,
while the central cavity in the Rosette Nebula,
is about 50
light-years
in diameter.
The nebula can be seen with a small telescope toward
the constellation of
Monoceros, the Unicorn.
This natural appearing telescopic portrait of the
Rosette Nebula was made using broadband and narrowband filters,
because sometimes
roses aren't red.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: NGC 2244 - Rosette Nebula
Publications with words: NGC 2244 - Rosette Nebula
See also:
- APOD: 2025 July 16 B The Rosette Nebula from DECam
- APOD: 2025 June 17 B Rosette Nebula Deep Field
- A Cosmic Rose: NGC 2237 in Monoceros
- APOD: 2024 February 14 B Rosette Deep Field
- When Roses Aren t Red
- APOD: 2023 February 6 B In the Heart of the Rosette Nebula
- NGC 2244: A Star Cluster in the Rosette Nebula