The Rosette Nebula in Monoceros

The Rosette Nebula or NGC 2237 and the open star cluster NGC 2244 - Altair Astro 66mm. Doublet Refractor - 0.8x focal reducer and field flattener, Canon 600D DSLR  - Credit Pip Stakkert

The Rosette Nebula in a wide-field context - Altair Astro 66mm. Doublet Refractor - 0.8x focal reducer and field flattener, Canon 600D DSLR  - Credit Pip Stakkert

NASA composite image of the Rosette Nebula

"On his return from Berlin, Pip Stakkert has taken time out from his busy work schedule to rework some data captured by the Jodrell Plank Observatory in autumn 2017. The Rosette Nebula and the open star cluster NGC 2244 are located 5000 light years distant from Earth in the constellation Monoceros the Unicorn. The Rosette is an example of an emission nebula in which young hot stars excite hydrogen atoms in the nebula causing them to emit radiation themselves. The nebula is approximately 130 light years in diameter and is just one part of a much larger molecular cloud. The nebula is an active stellar nursery and the stars which make up the open cluster NGC 2244 were indeed formed from the gravitational collapse of nebula matter. The young and very hot stars have, through their intense radiation, cleared a central 'bubble' in the nebula. The open cluster may be spotted through binoculars but the nebula requires a telescope and long exposure guided photography to display its coloured presence and finer detail". - Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.