The Rosette Nebula in Monoceros is a huge stellar nursery that rivals the great M42 in beauty. The nebula is associated with the sparse open cluster NGC 2244 and, if not for its relatively low surface brightness, the Rosette would be a consensus choice among the deep-sky top ten. The star cluster is visible to the naked about 2.5 degrees south of 4.5 magnitude 13 Monocerotis. The nebula is cataloged as NGC 2237, with NGC 2238 and NGC 2246 being separately discovered portions. The advent of modern nebula filters has allowed many amateurs with limited access to dark skies to still enjoy this object. It's one deep-sky treasure that made the brutally cold Midwest winters worthwhile.

My sketch was made using a 32 mm TeleVue Plossl fitted with Lumicon's OIII filter, a combination producing a 1.4 degree true field at 36X in my 10-inch Newtonian. The drawing is centered on NGC 2244 and features the nine brightest members. Another 50 or so stars are shown to anchor the field. The nebulosity has an overall mottled appearance that reminds me of a blooming rose. The field cannot contain the delicate glow of this stellar nursery, which spills across the border to the north and west.