Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Image Credit: CTIO, NOIRLab, DOE, NSF, AURA; Processing: T. A. Rector (U. Alaska Anchorage), D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab) & M. Zamani
Explanation: Would theRosette Nebula by any othername look as sweet?The bland New General Catalogdesignation of NGC 2237 doesn't appear to diminish the appearance of this flowery emission nebula, as captured by the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) on the Blanco 4-meter telescope at the NSF's Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. Inside the nebula lies anopen clusterof bright young stars designatedNGC 2244.These starsformed about four million years ago from the nebularmaterial and theirstellar winds are clearing a hole in the nebula's center,insulated by a layer of dust and hot gas.Ultraviolet light from thehot cluster stars causes the surrounding nebula toglow.The Rosette Nebula spans about 100light-years across, liesabout 5000 light-years away,and can be seen with a small telescope towards the constellation ofthe Unicorn(Monoceros).
Tomorrow's picture: 3I
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