Rosette nebula. Enhanced optical image of the Rosette nebula (NGC 2237-2239). This nebula is 2600 light years away, in the constellation Monoc- eros.

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Rosette nebula. Enhanced optical image of the Rosette nebula (NGC 2237-2239). This nebula is 2600 light years away, in the constellation Monoc- eros. It is a cloud of dust and hydrogen gas about 100 light years across. The gas is ionised and lit up by the open cluster of young, hot stars at its centre (NGC 2244). Silhouetted against the nebula are dark filaments of interstellar dust, which are condensing into round blobs known as Bok globules. These are believed to be regions where star forma- tion takes place. This image was produced by a CCD (charge-coupled device) camera, which stores images electronically rather than on film.

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Size: 3748px × 3786px
Photo credit: © MOUNT STROMLO AND SIDING SPRING OBSERVATORIES/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 2237, 2237-9, 2244, absorption, astronomy, birth, bok, ccd, cluster, cosmology, dust, evolution, formation, globule, image, interstellar, nebula, ngc, open, rosette, science, star, starbirth, stellar