APOD: 2023 February 6 – In the Heart of the Rosette Nebula

Good morning, Rallypoint, and welcome to the February 6th edition of Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD): "In the Heart of the Rosette Nebula." This composite image was captured last month and was colorized based on the presence of sulfur (red), hydrogen (green), and oxygen (blue). The central region of the Rosette Nebula is approximately 50 light years across, and lies ~5,000 light years away in the constellation Monoceros (The Unicorn).

Due to its nature, the discovery of the Rosette Nebula took place over a number of years. German astronomer Albert Marth discovered NGC 2238, a small bright patch in the nebula, in 1864 using a 48-inch reflector. American astronomer Lewis Swift was the first to report NGC 2246 (another bright patch on the nebula's eastern side) in 1886. The different parts of the nebula are collectively catalogued as NGC 2237. The full extent of the nebula became known only after American astronomer Edward Emerson Barnard started his photographic work at the Lick Observatory at the University of California in 1887.