The Skull like Rosette Nebula – NGC 2237

This massive nebula, which stretches 130 light years across, seems to resemble a Skull in this high-definition image taken by the Isaac Newton Telescope. The core or “eye hole” (the dark area in the center of the nebula) of NGC 2237 may seem lifeless, but it is actually emitting radiation in the form of X-rays. In 2001, the Chandra Space Observatory reviled that the nebula has hundreds of young stars burning hot within this core.

Credit: Nick Wright (University College London) and the IPHAS collaboration, NASA Chandra