August 30, 2023
By Sonakshi Kandhari
Nebulae, a captivating cosmic spectacle, never ceases to amaze. It's nothing but a cloud of dust and gas, mainly hydrogen and helium. However, the mysteries surrounding these celestial formations go much deeper. Let's uncover 10 of them today.
Image Source: Pxfuel
When a star dies, all the material that it is made up of intermingles with gas and dust to form nebulae.
Image Source: Pexels
When the sun and planets were conceived, they were in a nebula around 4.5 billion years ago.
Image Source: Pxfuel
It is the spot where stars are born; so a nebula is also called a star nursery.
Image Source: Pxfuel
It measures 600 light years in diameter. Intense star formation takes place here. Nestled in the Doradus constellation, Tarantula nebula is also called 30 Doradus.
Image Source: Pxfuel
The Helix Nebula is just 700 light years behind the Earth, and it formed from the remnants of a star that was quite similar to the sun.
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The energy from the stars in it and the energy from all the other phenomena surrounding it determine the shape it takes.
Image Source: ESA Hubble
While most of the nebulae can be viewed only with a telescope, the Orion Nebula is bright enough to be spotted by our eyes.
Image Source: NASA
Around 5 billion years from now, the sun will be devoid of fuel, and its exterior will blast and form a nebula.
Image Source: NASA
Some nebulae contain a large proportion of dust, as a result of which they become a barrier and block light. They're called absorption nebulae.
Image Source: NASA
While the name might confuse you, these nebulae are actually ones with low-mass star life. They are named so because they bear a resemblance to planets.
Image Source: NASA