A cosmic rose blossoms amidst a field of stars in this deep space vista from astrophotographer Ronald Brecher, which captures the ancient light of the star-forming region as it glows in the constellation Monoceros, the "unicorn," 5,000 light-years from Earth.
The 100-light-year-wide expanse of the Rosette Nebula is estimated to have a staggering mass the equivalent to 10,000 suns and has been sculpted and eroded by the radiation from nearby stars.
