The Rosette Nebula, NGC 2237, is one of many cosmic clouds of gas and dust that resemble a flower, but this nebula is the one most often used for the image of Valentine's Day. This image includes a long stem of glowing hydrogen gas, which more reflects a long stem rose. Over 5,000 light-years away, located in Monoceros, the petals of this rose are a cosmic nursery, whose shape is sculpted by the winds and radiation coming from its central cluster of hot young stars. The stars in the cluster, known as NGC 2244, are only a few million years old, while the central cavity in the Rosette Nebula is approximately 50 light-years in diameter. This image is pretty amazing. It looks exactly like a rose, especially with the long stream of hydrogen gas appearing to come off of the rose itself, resembling the long stem of a rose. It is really amazing how the central cavity of the rosette nebula is over 50 lgiht-years in diameter, that's a big rose.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
APOD 3.6
The Rosette Nebula, NGC 2237, is one of many cosmic clouds of gas and dust that resemble a flower, but this nebula is the one most often used for the image of Valentine's Day. This image includes a long stem of glowing hydrogen gas, which more reflects a long stem rose. Over 5,000 light-years away, located in Monoceros, the petals of this rose are a cosmic nursery, whose shape is sculpted by the winds and radiation coming from its central cluster of hot young stars. The stars in the cluster, known as NGC 2244, are only a few million years old, while the central cavity in the Rosette Nebula is approximately 50 light-years in diameter. This image is pretty amazing. It looks exactly like a rose, especially with the long stream of hydrogen gas appearing to come off of the rose itself, resembling the long stem of a rose. It is really amazing how the central cavity of the rosette nebula is over 50 lgiht-years in diameter, that's a big rose.
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