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Dark Clouds in Rosette Nebula

A tiny portion of the Rosette Nebula. Very dark gray material shaped like a triangle or shark fin extends from just below top left all the way down to the lower right corner and back up toward the top right.

This is a Hubble Space Telescope photo of a small portion of the Rosette Nebula, a huge star-forming region spanning 100 light-years across and located 5,200 light-years away. Hubble zooms into a small portion of the nebula that is only 4 light-years across (the approximate distance between our Sun and the neighboring Alpha Centauri star system.) Dark clouds of hydrogen gas laced with dust are silhouetted across the image. The clouds are being eroded and shaped by the seething radiation from the cluster of larger stars in the center of the nebula (NGC 2440). An embedded star seen at the tip of a dark cloud in the upper right portion of the image is launching jets of plasma that are crashing into the cold cloud around it. The resulting shock wave is causing a red glow. The colors come from the presence of hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    06:33:45
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    +04:59:54
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Monoceros
  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    5,200 light-years
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    Image is about 2.7 arcmin across (about 4 light-years)

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.

    The HST observations include those from program 17856 (C. Britt)

  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    WFC3/UVIS
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    27 December 2024
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F438W, F502N, F555W, F656N, F658N, F814W
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Rosette Nebula
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Emission Nebula
  • Release Date
    April 23, 2025
  • Science Release
    Eye on Infinity: NASA Celebrates Hubble’s 35th Year in Orbit
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Image: NASA, ESA, STScI; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

Downloads

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    jpg (8.57 MB)
  • 2000 × 1961
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A tiny portion of the Rosette Nebula. Very dark gray material shaped like a triangle or shark fin extends from just below top left all the way down to the lower right corner and back up toward the top right.
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

These images were acquired by the WFC3 Instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to a monochromatic (grayscale) image. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: F438W+F502N, Green: F555W+F656N, Red: F814W+F658N

Compass and Scale
Compass and ScaleAn astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made.

Related Images & Videos

Composite shows four Hubble images in quarters. At top left is a crisp view of Mars in shades of orange, blues, and browns. At top right is planetary nebula NGC 2899, which is shaped like a single macaroni noodle, with its central torus appearing semi-transparent and blue and green, and its top and bottom edges in orange. At bottom left is a tiny portion of the Rosette Nebula. Very dark gray material shaped like a triangle takes up the center. At bottom right is barred spiral galaxy NGC 5335 with a milky yellow center that forms a bar surrounded by multiple blue star-filled spiral arms that wrap up counterclockwise.

Mosaic of Hubble 35th Anniversary Targets

A selection of photogenic space targets to celebrate the 35th anniversary of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Upper left: Mars. Upper right: planetary nebula NGC 2899. Lower left: a small portion of the Rosette Nebula. Lower right: barred spiral galaxy NGC 5335.

Two views of planet Mars on a black background of space observed by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Mars Near Opposition 2024

This is a combination of Hubble Space Telescope images of Mars taken from December 28th to 30th, 2024. Mars was approximately 61 million miles from Earth. Thin water-ice clouds that are apparent in ultraviolet light give the Red Planet a frosty appearance.

NGC 2899 set against the black background of space. The planetary nebula is shaped like a single macaroni noodle, with its edges pointed up, but its edge-on central torus is semi-transparent in the middle.

Planetary Nebula NGC 2899

This Hubble Space Telescope image captures the beauty of the moth-like planetary nebula NGC 2899. This object has a diagonal, bipolar, cylindrical outflow of gas propelled by radiation and stellar winds. The colors are from glowing hydrogen and oxygen.

A square, ground-based observation of the entire Rosette Nebula. A tiny box at center-left connects to a zoomed-in image of this region at bottom left from the Hubble Space Telescope.

Rosette Nebula Context Image

The Rosette Nebula is a vast star-forming region, 100 light-years across, that lies at one end of a giant molecular cloud. The background image is from the Digitized Sky Survey, while the inset is a small portion of the nebula as photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Barred spiral galaxy NGC 5335 observed by the Hubble Space Telescope takes up the majority of the view. At its center is a milky yellow, flattened oval that extends bottom left to top. Within the oval is a bright central region that looks circular, with the very center the brightest. In the bright central region is what looks like a bar, extending from top left to bottom right. Around this is a thick swath of blue stars speckled with white regions. Multiple arms wrap up and around in a counterclockwise direction, becoming fainter the farther out they are. Both the white core and the spiral arms are intertwined with dark streaks of dust. The background of space is black. Thousands of distant galaxies in an array of colors are speckled throughout.

NGC 5335

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured in exquisite detail a face-on view of a remarkable-looking galaxy. NGC 5335 is categorized as a flocculent spiral galaxy with patchy streamers of star formation across its disk.

Two views of Mars. Top left text: Mars & Phobos, Hubble Space Telescope; WFC3/UVIS filters in colors: F275W, purple; F410M, blue; F502N, green; F673N, red. Top image: December 28, 2024 20:00 UT. Most of planet is shades of orange. Brightest orange area on the left half. At top and bottom, white polar caps. Limb is blue. Text top center: northern polar cap, clouds. On planet, top to bottom, left to right: Arcadia Planitia, Tempe Terra, Acidalia Planitia; Olympus Monds; Tharsis Montes, Chryse Planitia; Valles Marineris, Terra Meridiana; Solus Planum; Argyre Planitia, Noachis Terra. To the right, dot: Phobos. Lower image: December 29, 2024 13:18 UT. Compass arrows at right, north pointing up, = east left. Planet has similar features; brightest orange area is two centered two blobs. Text above Mars: northern polar cap, clouds. On-planet: Utopia Planitia; Arabia Terra, Syrtis Major; Terra Meridiani, Schiaparelli Crater, clouds; Noachis Terra, Huygens Crater, Syrtis Minor; Hellas Planitia. At left, dot: Phobos.

Mars Near Opposition Compass Image

These two images of Mars and its moon Phobos were captured by the Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) on consecutive days in December 2024. Compass arrows and a color key are provided for reference.

Image titled u201cNGC 2899, HST WFC3/UVISu201d at top left with compass arrows and color key at the bottom. Below the name, filters are listed: F438W and F205N in blue, F555W and F656N in green, and F814W and F658N in red. These colors indicate the visible-light color is assigned to each filter. At center is the planetary nebula NGC 2899, which is shaped like a single macaroni noodle, with its edges pointed up. Its edge-on central torus is semi-transparent and blue and green in the middle. The top and bottom edges are thick and orange. The black background is speckled with pinpoints of light. The length of the scale bar at bottom left is about one fifth of the total width. It is labeled 0.5 light-years and 30 arcsec. At the bottom right are compass arrows indicating the orientation of the image on the sky. The east arrow points toward 8 ou2019clock. The north arrow points just past 12 ou2019clock.

Planetary Nebula NGC 2899 Compass Image

This image of planetary nebula NGC 2899 was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). The image shows a scale bar, compass arrows, and color key for reference.

Image titled u201cDark Clouds in the Rosette Nebula, HST WFC3/UVISu201d at top left with compass arrows and color key at the bottom. Below the name, filters are listed: F438W and F502N in blue, F555W and F656N in green, and F814W and F658N in red. These colors indicate the visible-light color is assigned to each filter. At center is a tiny portion of the Rosette Nebula. Very dark gray material shaped like a triangular shark fin takes up the center. It looks like thick smoke that has billowed out irregularly, thicker along the line from top left to bottom right, and looser on the piece that goes toward the top right. There are a few bright red and purple stars scattered along the right half. The length of the scale bar at bottom left is about one fifth of the total width. It is labeled 0.75 light-years and 30 arcsec. At the bottom right are compass arrows indicating the orientation of the image on the sky. The east arrow points toward 4 ou2019clock. The north arrow points just past 7 ou2019clock.

Dark Clouds in Rosette Nebula Compass Image

This image of dark clouds in the Rosette Nebula was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). The image shows a scale bar, compass arrows, and color key for reference.

Image titled u201cNGC 5335, HST WFC3/UVISu201d at top left with compass arrows and color key at the bottom. Below the name, filters are listed: F475W in blue, F625W in green, and F814W in red. These colors indicate the visible-light color is assigned to each filter. Barred spiral galaxy NGC 5335 takes up the majority of the view. At its center is a milky yellow, flattened oval surrounded by what looks like a bar extending from top left to bottom right. Around this is a thick swath of blue stars speckled with white regions. Multiple arms wrap up and around in a counterclockwise direction. Distant galaxies in an array of colors are speckled throughout the black background. The length of the scale bar at bottom left is about a quarter of the total width. It is labeled 48,000 light-years and 45 arcseconds. At the bottom right are compass arrows indicating the orientation of the image on the sky. The east arrow points toward 10 ou2019clock. The north arrow points toward 2 ou2019clock.

NGC 5335 Compass Image

This image of barred spiral galaxy NGC 5335 was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). The image shows a scale bar, compass arrows, and color key for reference.

A view of planet Mars on a black background of space observed by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Mars Rotation

This animation was assembled from a combination of Hubble Space Telescope images of Mars taken from December 28th to 30th, 2024. At the midpoint of the Hubble observations, Mars was approximately 61 million miles from Earth. The photos were then mapped onto a sphere, which is the...

NGC 2899 set against the black background of space. The planetary nebula is shaped like a single macaroni noodle, with its edges pointed up, but its edge-on central torus is semi-transparent in the middle.

Planetary Nebula NGC 2899

This video zooms across 6,500 light-years through a star-studding field to visit the planetary nebula NGC 2899, as photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope. The nebula has a diagonal bipolar structure formed by a cylindrical-shaped outflow of hot gasses and radiation from the c...

A tiny portion of the Rosette Nebula. At left are broad vertical ribbons in yellow. At right, the background is blueish. Patches of dark material are superimposed. Two prominent yellow stars show four diffraction spikes.

Rosette Nebula

This video offers a close-up look at a small portion of the magnificent Rosette Nebula, as photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope. Though Hubble cannot take three-dimensional pictures, this video is a visualization treatment of the photo to give a sense of depth with foregrou...

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Details

Last Updated
Apr 23, 2025
Location
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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