Astrophoto: Double Rosette Nebula

By Nancy Atkinson - January 26, 2011 at 8:14 AM UTC | Milky Way

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Think you are seeing double in this new image of the Rosette Nebula? This new astrophoto from César Cantú in Monterrey, Mexico shows two different views of this massive cloud of dust and gas, comparing two techniques of combining filters so that different features stand out. César used a Takahashi FSQ106 telescope and a FLI 8300 camera with 3 nanometer narrowband and RGB filters, using an exposure time of 8 hours and subexposures of 600 seconds each. He used PixInsight and Photoshop CS for processing.

The Rosette Nebula (NGC 2244) is part of a larger cluster, which lies at a distance of about 5,200 light years from Earth and in its entirety measures roughly 130 light years in diameter.

Thanks César for sharing your stunning image -- flowers just in time for Valentine's Day! See more at his website,

Astronomía Y Astrofotografía.

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com