The Rosette Nebula

space · stars · nebula · cosmic nursery

Shaped like a flower. The Rosette Nebula gets its name because it looks like a beautiful rose when you see it through a telescope. Its pink and red colors come from hot hydrogen gas glowing in space.

A stellar nursery. This nebula is like a giant maternity ward for stars. Gravity pulls the gas and dust together so tightly that new baby stars ignite and begin to shine.

Part of a huge cloud. The Rosette Nebula is just one bright part of a much larger cloud of gas and dust that stretches across a huge region of our galaxy.

Stars are still forming. The cluster of young stars called NGC 2244 was born from the Rosette Nebula's material. These baby stars are still very young in cosmic time, maybe just a few million years old.

Hydrogen creates the glow. The nebula shines in pinks and reds because its hydrogen gas is energized by radiation from the hot young stars inside it.