NGC 2244 Rosette Nebula
NGC 2244 Rosette Nebula
In the constellation of Monoceros, at a distance of ~4700 light years from earth lays the Rosette nebula. The central cluster of stars provide the light and energy creating symmetrical shape. High energy winds are clearing the core that is ~50 lightyears across. Additional detail is provided by dark nebulae in the foreground.
Equipment
Celestron 11 on a CGEM DX mount, Hyperstar 3 (prime focus), Atik 460ex mono camera, 7nm Ha filter, Orion StarShoot AutoGuider on an Orion ShortTube 80 for off axis guiding.
Missing Image
Image
This page shows the original image captured in January 2012 using a modified Canon 350D. Click on this image to see the current higher resolution image captured using an Atik 460 mono camera on a HyperStar 3 with a 7nm Ha filter for luminance combined with the old image to supply the RGB color data. The final image is a stack of 14, 3 minute exposures at -13C sensor temp. Imaged on 03/07/2014 west of Tucson, AZ.
Software
PHD2 for scope guiding. Nebulosity for image capture, calibration and stacking. Photoshop CS5.1 for final processing.
Image scale at a distance of 4700 light years
Full size image information:
  • Width: 2703 Pixels = 75.3 Arc minutes
  • Height: 2067 Pixels = 60.7 Arc minutes
Object size information:
  • Image width and height = 103 X 83 light years
  • Pixel size = 224 Billion (2.24E+11) miles.
  • Pixel size = 360 Billion (3.60E+11) kilometers
Click image for full size