The Rosette Nebula (NGC 2237) is a star forming region situated about 5000 light years from us. Surrounding stars heat hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and other gases in the nebula which results in the emitted light. The light is relatively bright and the nebula has a big apparent size, more than 2x the size of the full moon, which makes it a popular astrophotography target.
This image shows a small portion of the nebula (NGC 2246) imaged with the SAINT-EX telescope in the National Astronomical Observatory of Mexico, in San Pedro Mártir. The telescope's long focal length is usually used to study exoplanets. Here, it allows us to get a more detailed view of the dust (the dark structures) and the gases (the glowing green, purple and blue parts of the image) of the nebula.
The exceptionally dark sky above the observatory and the very low noise sensor allowed to capture this image with only 1h10 of total exposure between precious scientific observations.
This image was processed and reduced by Vincent Dor, researcher at the Space Research and Planetary Sciences division (WP) of the Physics Institute at the University of Bern. The Center for Space and Habitability (CSH) leads the SAINT-EX project and the ground-based facility.
