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A cosmic rose blossoms amidst a field of stars in this deep space vista from astrophotographer Ronald Brecher, which captures the ancient light of the star-forming region as it glows in the constellation Monoceros, the "unicorn," 5,000 light-years from Earth.
Dark filaments of hydrogen gas thread the scene, blocking the light of stellar giants beyond, while the blue-white stars of the open cluster NGC 2244 can be seen carving out the vast cavity in the heart of the vast nebula flower. Some of the stars in the cluster are true behemoths, 50 times the mass of our sun.
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Like old love made new, Brecher had initially captured the nebula's ancient light over the course of almost 10 hours worth of observation time back in 2021, but he recently returned to the data, reprocessing it with new techniques — and greater experience — using the astrophoto software PixInsight.
Nebulas take on radically different appearances when viewed in different wavelengths of light. The optical wavelength — which we see with the unaided eye — presents a swirling maelstrom of dust and gas, like that seen in Brecher's image, while ultraviolet and infrared observations help reveal the stars dotted within. You can explore the different aspects of the Rosette Nebula on Viewspace.org.
Want to explore the night sky for yourself? Then be sure to check out our roundups of the best telescopes and binoculars available in 2026. Photographers may also want to peruse our picks of the best cameras and lenses for capturing the post-sunset realm.
Editor's Note: If you would like to share your astrophotography with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
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