The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shared an image that shows a portion of the Rosette Nebula, which at first glance resembles a skull. Rosette Nebula has been named for its rose-shaped arrangement, which lies about 5,000 light-years from Earth. Although the image of stars looks like a human skull, it is really an optical illusion.
NASA shared the image on its Instagram page. According to media reports, the space agency said that a cluster of stars looks like a colourful human skull in space. As per red X-ray observations, it was found that hundreds of young stars were lying near the center of the image.
According to NASA, it was observed that large, dense pockets of purple, orange, green, and blue gasses having dust form the bone structure of this cosmic skull. Bright blue stars stand out against the darkness of space Within the eye cavities of the skull.
“The slurry of dust and gas creating the bone structure is visibly denser in the bottom right of the image, creating a thick shroud blocking the sight of newly forming stars in the region. The uppermost corners of the image reveal a background of the blackness of space with sprinklings of stars throughout,” said NASA.
According to data from Chandra, hundreds of newborn stars clustered in the center. Additional fainter clusters were observed on either side.
According to media reports, the Rosette Nebula is known as an emission nebula, which means the glowing of gasses that come from the radiation of its young stars. The Rosette Nebula covers a distance of about 100 light years.