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Credit & Copyright: Harry Karamitsos
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 probably 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 color filters, but sometimes
roses aren't red.
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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 - NGC 2237
Publications with words: NGC 2244 - Rosette Nebula - NGC 2237
See also: