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| The Horsehead Nebula. Copyright Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy Inc. (AURA), all rights reserved. |
Nebulae
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| The Horsehead Nebula. Copyright Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy Inc. (AURA), all rights reserved. |
Nebulae are clouds of interstellar gas and dust. These can be either bright or dark. A bright nebula is one which can be observed a luminous patch of light. A dark nebula is one which can be observed as a dark patch against a bright background. There are several different types of nebulae including planetary, reflection, and emission nebulae.
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| An Emission Nebula (M 8). Copyright Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy Inc. (AURA), all rights reserved. |
An emission nebula is a region of hot interstellar gas which shines by its own light. This luminosity comes from the interaction between free electrons and the ions making up the gas.
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| A Planetary Nebula (M 57). Copyright Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy Inc. (AURA), all rights reserved. |
A planetary nebula is an expanding and usually symmetrical cloud of gas ejected from a dying star. These are a type of emission nebula and are thought to come from red giant stars.
A reflection nebula is one which shines by reflecting the light from a nearby star or star cluster. These are situated near the stars which provide the light.
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