Rosette Nebula
June 26, 2008
Provided by: Greg Parker, University of Southampton, U.K.
Summary authors & editors: Greg Parker, Jim Foster
The photo above showing the handsome Rosette Nebula was acquired at the New Forest Observatory in Hampshire, U.K. This past January, we had a few good clear nights that allowed me to acquire narrowband OIII (oxygen) data to enhance the Rosette's image. The Rosette Nebula is found in the constellation Monoceros (the Unicorn). It's a notable star formation region, which glows as a result of ultraviolet light emanating from young, blue stars. Stellar winds from these hot stars cleared the central hole area. In terms of size, it covers a huge area of the sky -- more than six times the area of the full Moon.
Photo details: False color image shows over 12 hours of red, green, blue, hydrogen alpha, and OIII data, acquired at the New Forest Observatory by Greg Parker and expertly processed by Noel Carboni in Florida, U.S.A.