The mystical beauty of the heavens

NGC 2237 & NGC 2244
Emission Nebula with an open cluster

NGC 2237 is also known as the Rosette Nebula.
At the centre of the Rosette is NGC 2244 an open cluster also known as the Satellite Cluster.
The Stars in the open cluster have been formed from the nebula's matter, leaving a large hole at the centre of the Rosette.

The Rosette is about 5,200 light years away in the Constellation Monoceros.
The Nebula spans around 130 light years and contains more than 2,500 Stars ,most of these Stars are less than 5 million years old.
When you consider our Sun is around 4.5 billion years old it makes these Stars very very young.

In a few million years the Nebula will disperse leaving just NGC 2244 an open cluster of Stars.