This is my fifth target on my recent imaging trip to dark skies in Arizona. Several years ago, the Rosette Nebula is one of the first striking nebula that I imaged. I recall reading that the initial impression of the raw photograph would only show stars but, with adjustment of the image brightness and contrast, the nebula would appear obvious. It over-fills the field of view here but shows including small dark globules that are believed to be star forming site within the nebula. Sky and Telescope February 2021, pg 57-59.
The bright stars in the middle of the nebula are part of the open cluster designated NGC 2244. About four million years old, stellar winds from these stars are clearing the hole in the center of the Rosette Nebula. Ultraviolet light from the hot cluster stars causes the surrounding nebula to glow. (
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170214.html)
Small globules and the “elephant trunk” features in the Rosette Nebula host young stellar objects and are believed to be the sites of potential new star formation. M. M. Mäkelä et al. Astronomy & Astrophysics. (September 2017), 605, A82.
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