The Rosette Nebula is a huge star-forming region spanning 100 light years across and located 5,000 light years away.It can be seen in the Monoceros constellation in the winter months, located between stars
Betelgeuse in the
constellation Orion and Procyon in Canis Minor.To find the Rosette Nebula, draw a line between Betelgeuse and Procyon, then look just south of that line, about halfway along, and you'll see it.The nebula can't be seen with the naked eye, however, so you'll need a telescope to observe it.=wp-block-heading
The Rosette Nebula's shape explainedCatalogued as NCG 2237, the Rosette Nebula lives up to its informal nickname, as its circular shape and deep, dark centre gives it a floral appearance.At the centre of the nebula is NGC 2244, a group of
stars that form a gravitationally bound open
star cluster thought to be about 4 million years old.These stars emit streams of charged particles known as stellar winds, carving out the gas and dust at the nebula's centre and giving it the Rosette nickname.The Rosette Nebula is also known as the 'skull', because the carving of cosmic gas by stellar winds has led some observers to view it as a skull shape. The surrounding gas that forms a ring around the dark centre is glowing because it is being blasted by radiation from nearby stars, making the Rosette Nebula an emission
nebula.
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