Mapped narrowband color based upon the Hubble Palette using Astrodon 3 nm H-a (Green), SII (Red) and OIII (Blue) filters. Short RBG data were blended in for star colors.

Guided with SBIG ST-402 and Astrodon MonsterMOAG. Data acquisition with MaximDL4.62 and CCDAutoPilot4. Processed in CCDStack and Photoshop CS3.

This is a portion of the large 1 deg Rosette Nebula, NGC 2237, 2238, 2239 and 2246, that surrounds the bright open cluster, NGC2244, in the constellation Monoceros and is ~ 5.5 kly distant. The young open cluster of bright blue stars is thought to be less than 1 million years old, and is responsible for the bright emission of the nebula and the clearing out of the central region.

This hi-res image centers the dark dust stack that forms an inverted "Y" and appears twisted.  The image is ~ 32 arcmin square and north is up.