Related topics: nasa · massive stars · stars · infrared light

Image: Hubble captures infant stars transforming a nebula

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image presents a visually striking collection of interstellar gas and dust. Named RCW 7, the nebula is located just over 5,300 light-years from Earth in the constellation Puppis.

Researchers chart Orion Nebula like never before

Star and planet formation is a messy affair. It starts with the gravitational collapse of a gigantic cloud of gas and dust, which simultaneously produces massive stars, whose intense radiation field creates a harsh environment, ...

A nebula that extends its hand into space

The Gum Nebula is an emission nebula almost 1400 light-years away. It's home to an object known as "God's Hand" among the faithful. The rest of us call it CG 4.

Webb captures iconic Horsehead Nebula in unprecedented detail

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has captured the sharpest infrared images to date of one of the most distinctive objects in our skies, the Horsehead Nebula. These observations show a part of the iconic nebula ...

See the Southern Ring Nebula in 3D

Planetary nebula are some of nature's most stunning visual displays. The name is confusing since they're the remains of stars, not planets. But that doesn't detract from their status as objects of captivating beauty and intense ...

page 1 from 40

Nebula

A nebula (from Latin: "cloud"; pl. nebulae or nebulæ, with ligature or nebulas) is an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen gas, helium gas and other ionized gases. Originally, nebula was a general name for any extended astronomical object, including galaxies beyond the Milky Way (some examples of the older usage survive; for example, the Andromeda Galaxy was referred to as the Andromeda Nebula before galaxies were discovered by Edwin Hubble). Nebulae often form star-forming regions, such as in the Eagle Nebula. This nebula is depicted in one of NASA's most famous images, the "Pillars of Creation". In these regions the formations of gas, dust, and other materials "clump" together to form larger masses, which attract further matter, and eventually will become massive enough to form stars. The remaining materials are then believed to form planets, and other planetary system objects.

This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA