Exposures: 4 hrs Ha (15 minute subexposures) and 50 minutes each of RGB (10 min subexposures) for total of 6.5 hrs
The open cluster NGC 2244 resides in the center of this massive hydrogen gas cloud. The cluster includes several hot young O-type stars that generate large amounts of radiation and stellar wind. These powerful stellar winds appear to blow a hole through the dense cloud of the surrounding Rosette Nebula leaving a portal to the "other side". The young stars in this cluster were formed from the surrounding gas nebula about 5 million years ago.
The nebula surrounding the cluster is dominated by ionized oxygen and hydrogen. This image highlights several Bok Globules, dark clouds of dense dust and gas in which stars begin to form.
5,200 light years away
(image reduced to 60% of original size)
FOV = 96 x 65 arc minutes
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