THE ROSETTE NEBULA NGC 2237
This stunning emission-line image of the Rosette nebula (NGC2237) in the constellation Monoceros (the Unicorn) was taken at the National Science Foundation's 0.9-m telescope on Kitt Peak with the Mosaic camera, and is presented here in false color (hydrogen alpha, OIII oxygen, and SII sulfur respectively red, green and blue, using five ten-minute exposures each). The Rosette is a prominent star formation region, glowing due to ultraviolet light from the young, hot, blue stars whose winds also cleared the central hole. It is enormously large on the sky, covering more than six times the area of the full moon.
Minimum credit line: T.A.Rector, B.Wolpa, M.Hanna, AURA/NOAO/NSF
ZOOM IN FOR A LARGER VIEW OF THE ROSETTE NEBULA (149KB JPG)
BACK TO SPECTACULAR ASTRONOMICAL IMAGES