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 narrowband filters, because sometimes roses aren't red.

​

This was one of the first few objects which I shot via my first set-up three years ago. How time flies! I decided to go widefield as it could better capture the vast amount of hydrogen gas around the object. As I had a limited time window (literally every night) to shoot this target, I could only squeeze a mere 6 hours out of this, via a widefield telescope and monochrome camera.

​

Red: Sulfur II

Green: Hydrogen Alpha

Blue: Oxygen III

​

Total Imaging Time: 6 hours over 3 weeks

Camera: QHYCCD 294M (Mono)

Lens/Scope: William Optics RedCat 51

Mount: iOptron CEM26

Filters: Antlia 3.5nm SHO filter

​

​

​