Tucson: A colorful image of the Rosette Nebula has been released by the dark energy camera of the US Noir Lab.
This colorful nebula is located in the Montserrat cluster, about 5,000 light-years from Earth, and is famous among astronomers for its beauty and detailed features.
This nebula is actually a giant bead of gas and dust that extends 130 light-years across. At the center of this nebula is a star cluster called NGC 2244, which consists of many hot, blue, and very young stars.
Intense radiation from this cluster is ionizing the surrounding gas, giving rise to the nebula’s varied colors and complex structures.
The Rosette Nebula is an active star-forming region. In its depths, astronomers have discovered numerous bocce globules spread throughout the nebula. Globules are compact clusters of cool circles where newborn stars can potentially form.
Interestingly, our solar system is believed to have formed from a similar nebula billions of years ago.
