A nebula is an enormous cloud of dust and gas occupying the space between stars and acting as a nursery for new stars . The roots of the word come from Latin nebula, which means a “mist, vapor, fog, smoke, exhalation.” Nebulae are made up of dust, basic elements such as hydrogen and other ionized gases.
What is a nebula simple definition?
A nebula is an enormous cloud of dust and gas occupying the space between stars and acting as a nursery for new stars . The roots of the word come from Latin nebula, which means a “mist, vapor, fog, smoke, exhalation.” Nebulae are made up of dust, basic elements such as hydrogen and other ionized gases.
What is another way to define nebula?
The Short Answer:
A nebula is a giant cloud of dust and gas in space . Some nebulae (more than one nebula) come from the gas and dust thrown out by the explosion of a dying star, such as a supernova. Other nebulae are regions where new stars are beginning to form.
What is the definition of nebula for kids?
The Short Answer:
A nebula is a giant cloud of dust and gas in space . Some nebulae (more than one nebula) come from the gas and dust thrown out by the explosion of a dying star, such as a supernova. Other nebulae are regions where new stars are beginning to form.
What’s an example of a nebula?
A mass of dust in the sky that reflects light and appears as darkness in the sky may be an example of a nebula. ... Among the bright nebulae are cold clouds that reflect light from nearby stars ( reflection nebulae ) and hot, ionized clouds that glow with their own light ( emission nebulae ).
What is the best definition of a nebula?
Definition: A nebula is a formation in space which is constituted mostly of helium, dust, and other gases in various concentrations . A nebula is also believed to be one of the primary stages in the formation of stars. ...
Is Earth in a nebula?
The Earth was formed from the nebula that produced the Solar System . It is almost universally accepted that the Sun, the planets and their satellites, the asteroids, and the comets of the Oort ‘cloud’ grew from a cloud of gas and dust that contracted under its own gravity.
Can we see nebula in other galaxies?
The answer is no – unless you count seeing the combined light of many billions of stars. From the Northern Hemisphere, the only galaxy outside our Milky Way that’s easily visible to the eye is the great galaxy in the constellation Andromeda, also known as M31.
Can nebula form stars?
How Do Stars Form in Nebulas? Stars are born in clouds of gas and dust . One such stellar nursery is the Orion Nebula, an enormous cloud of gas and dust many light-years across. ... One day, this core becomes hot enough to ignite fusion and a star is born.
What are the 4 main types of nebula?
Many of them are dozens or even hundreds of light-years across. Nebulae have been divided into five major categories. These are emission nebulae, reflection nebulae, dark nebulae, planetary nebulae, and supernova remnants .
What are the two types of nebula?
Stellar objects that can be called Nebula come in four major classes. Most fall into the category of Diffuse Nebulae, which means they have no well-defined boundaries. These can be subdivided into two further categories based on their behavior with visible light – “Emission Nebulae” and “Reflection Nebulae” .
Why are nebulae important?
Planetary nebulae are important objects in astronomy because they play a crucial role in the chemical evolution of the galaxy , returning material to the interstellar medium which has been enriched in heavy elements and other products of nucleosynthesis (such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and calcium). ...
How do you identify a nebula?
To find the nebula, look below the three stars of Orion’s Belt (or above, if viewing from the southern hemisphere). You will see a faint line of stars, which make up Orion’s sword. The nebula is halfway down the sword and will appear as a fuzzy-looking star.
How many nebula are there?
There are believed to be about 20,000 objects called planetary nebulae in the Milky Way Galaxy, each representing gas expelled relatively recently from a central star very late in its evolution. Because of the obscuration of dust in the Galaxy, only about 1,800 planetary nebulae have been cataloged.
Which nebula is shown in the given picture?
The nebula shown in the picture is NGC 6302 (popularly known as the Butterfly Nebula, Bug Nebula or Caldwell 69) which is a bipolar planetary nebula. It is located in the constellation Scorpius. The structure of Butterfly Nebula is one of the most complex ever seen in any planetary nebula.
