This is a large and bright winter time emission nebula that is very rewarding to photograph. I last imaged this nebula three years ago with much the same story as far as the long pause at getting out to the telescope with winter season delays. Last night presented ideal conditions and produced this run of 32 five minute frames. Just the sub frames on the computer screen were impressive as they were coming in. Temperature was in the teens and the frost was not too bad as the evening progressed. I ended the run around midnight, as the telescope was near the end of its reach past the meridian and it was getting low in the sky.
5000 light years away, the Rosette Nebula contains an open cluster of 2500 young stars which are closely associated with the nebulosity, having been formed from the nebula’s matter. The most active region has plasma thought to be 100 to 1000 times hotter than a typical nebula, which we see as red light from hydrogen emissions. These high temperatures are thought to be the influence of more than one of the rare and massive O-type stars. This nebula is some 130 light years across.
Jeanne says:
Bill this is AWESOME! Thanks for telling me about it!!