Captured from a rooftop in Nyon, Switzerland, this 25-hour deep integration reveals the Rosette Nebula (NGC 2237–9), a vast star-forming region about 5,200 light-years away in the constellation Monoceros. At its heart lies the young open cluster NGC 2244, whose hot, massive stars carve a hollowed cavity in the surrounding gas. The blue tones trace oxygen-rich regions, while the warm reds highlight hydrogen emission, outlining the nebula’s iconic rose-like structure. Faint sulfur extensions stretch outward, exposing shock fronts and tenuous filaments that mark the ongoing interaction between stellar radiation and the parent molecular cloud.
Aesthetically, the image balances a luminous central bubble with delicate, wind-swept tendrils that fade into the surrounding darkness, giving a strong sense of depth and scale. The added SII data enriches the outer shells and subtle streamers, emphasizing the nebula’s dynamic edges and revealing fragile structures often lost in shorter exposures. Against a finely resolved star field, the Rosette appears both serene and powerful, a cosmic bloom shaped by light, gravity, and time.
Captured from a rooftop in Nyon, Switzerland, this 25-hour deep integration reveals the Rosette Nebula (NGC 2237–9), a vast star-forming region about 5,200 light-years away in the constellation Monoceros. At its heart lies the young open cluster NGC 2244, whose hot, massive stars carve a hollowed cavity in the surrounding gas. The blue tones trace oxygen-rich regions, while the warm reds highlight hydrogen emission, outlining the nebula’s iconic rose-like structure. Faint sulfur extensions stretch outward, exposing shock fronts and tenuous filaments that mark the ongoing interaction between stellar radiation and the parent molecular cloud.
Aesthetically, the image balances a luminous central bubble with delicate, wind-swept tendrils that fade into the surrounding darkness, giving a strong sense of depth and scale. The added SII data enriches the outer shells and subtle streamers, emphasizing the nebula’s dynamic edges and revealing fragile structures often lost in shorter exposures. Against a finely resolved star field, the Rosette appears both serene and powerful, a cosmic bloom shaped by light, gravity, and time.