                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2024 February 14
   A busy star field is shown with several large red nebulae. The Rosette
     Nebula is among them and seen on the lower right, while the nebula
     surrounding the Cone Nebula is larger and visible toward the upper
       left. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                             Rosette Deep Field
        Image Credit & Copyright: Olivier Bernard & Philippe Bernhard

   Explanation: Can you find the Rosette Nebula? The large, red, and
   flowery-looking nebula on the upper left may seem the obvious choice,
   but that is actually just diffuse hydrogen emission surrounding the
   Cone and Fox Fur Nebulas. The famous Rosette Nebula is really located
   on the lower right and connected to the other nebulas by irregular
   filaments. Because the featured image of Rosetta's field is so wide and
   deep, it seems to contain other flowers. Designated NGC 2237, the
   center of the Rosette nebula is populated by the bright blue stars of
   open cluster NGC 2244, whose winds and energetic light are evacuating
   the nebula's center. The Rosette Nebula is about 5,000 light years
   distant and, just by itself, spans about three times the diameter of a
   full moon. This flowery field can be found toward the constellation of
   the Unicorn (Monoceros).

                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
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