nebula

Also known as nebulæ, nebulae

thumb|right|upright=1.5|True color image of the Trifid Nebula, showing complex gas and plasma structure

AI overview

A nebula is a vast cloud of gas and plasma in space, often visible as a colorful structure when photographed by telescopes. Nebulae matter because they are regions where stars and planets form, making them crucial to understanding how our universe creates and evolves celestial objects.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Image: NGC6543.jpg

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Commons category: Nebulae
exact match: purl.obolibrary.org/obo/ENVO_01000806

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~13 min read

Article

14 sections

Contents

Observational history
Formation
Types
Classical types
Flux Nebulae
Diffuse nebulae
Planetary nebulae
Protoplanetary nebulae
Supernova remnants
Examples
Catalogs
See also
References
External links

thumb|right|upright=1.5|True color image of the Trifid Nebula, showing complex gas and plasma structure

A nebula (; or nebulas) is a distinct luminescent part of interstellar medium, which can consist of ionized, neutral, or molecular hydrogen and also cosmic dust. Nebulae are often star-forming regions, such as the Pillars of Creation in the Eagle Nebula. In these regions, the formations of gas, dust, and other materials "clump" together to form denser regions, which attract further matter and eventually become dense enough to form stars. The remaining material is then thought to form planets and other planetary system objects.