Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]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.

                              2025 February 14
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                    A Cosmic Rose: NGC 2237 in Monoceros
              Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Harry Karamitsos

   Explanation: The Rosette Nebula, NGC 2237, is not the only cosmic cloud
   of gas and dust to [5]evoke the [6]imagery of [7]flowers, but it is
   probably the most famous. At the edge of a large [8]molecular cloud in
   Monoceros some 5,000 light years away, the petals of this cosmic rose
   are actually a stellar nursery. The lovely, symmetric shape is
   [9]sculpted by the winds and [10]radiation from its central cluster of
   [11]hot young, O-type stars. Stars in the [12]energetic cluster,
   cataloged [13]as NGC 2244, are only a few million years young, while
   the central cavity in the Rosette Nebula, is about 50 [14]light-years
   in diameter. The nebula can be seen with a small telescope toward the
   constellation of [15]Monoceros, the Unicorn. This natural appearing
   [16]telescopic portrait of the Rosette Nebula was made using broadband
   color filters, but sometimes [17]roses aren't red.

                      Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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    Authors & editors: [29]Robert Nemiroff ([30]MTU) & [31]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([32]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [33]Specific rights apply.
              [34]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [35]ASD at [36]NASA / [37]GSFC,
                         [38]NASA Science Activation
                           & [39]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2502/RosetteNeb.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.astrobin.com/users/hkara/
   5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150217.html
   6. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070524.html
   7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap051229.html
   8. http://www.gb.nrao.edu/~rmaddale/Education/OrionTourCenter/monr2.html
   9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellar_wind
  10. https://srag.jsc.nasa.gov/spaceradiation/what/what.cfm
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070726.html
  12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ4n2HjppWo
  13. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_2244
  14. http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/k-12/Numbers/Math/Mathematical_Thinking/how_long_is_a_light_year.htm
  15. http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/constellations/monoceros.html
  16. https://www.astrobin.com/sa1a9d/
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180222.html
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250213.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  22. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  27. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=250214
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250215.html
  29. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  30. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  31. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  32. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  34. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  35. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  36. https://www.nasa.gov/
  37. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  38. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  39. http://www.mtu.edu/