NGC 2237 C 49 Rosette Nebula and NGC 2244

Capture

Seestar s50 mosaic 366 stacks

Date

26 December 2024

Location

Camden, NSW

Original

2037 × 3621 px

The Rosette Nebula, also known as Caldwell 49, is a vast star-forming region 100 light-years across that lies at one end of a giant molecular cloud in the constellation Monoceros. The bright open cluster NGC 2244 in the centre is closely associated with the nebulosity, the stars of the cluster having been formed from the nebula's matter 2 to 3 million years ago. Intense radiation from the young stars inside a cluster in the nebula causes the gasses to glow. The dark lanes aren't empty space. They are dense clouds of dust lying in front of the glowing hydrogen. The cluster and nebula lie at a distance of 5,000 light-years from Earth and measure roughly 130 light years in diameter. The mass of the nebula is estimated to be around 10,000 solar masses. Apparent magnitude 9.0.

See it in the nebulas gallery