nebula

A nebula (from Latin: "cloud";[1] pl. nebulae or nebulæ, with ligature or nebulas) is an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen, helium and other ionized gases. Originally, nebula was a name for any diffuse astronomical object, including galaxies beyond the Milky Way. The Andromeda Galaxy, for instance, was referred to as the Andromeda Nebula (and spiral galaxies in general as "spiral nebulae") before the true nature of galaxies was confirmed in the early 20th century by Vesto Slipher, Edwin Hubble, et. al. Nebulae are often 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.

For more information about nebula check the Wikipedia article here

ZME Science posts about nebula

Stunning Horsehead nebula imaged in infrared

Mon, Apr 22, 2013

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Two fantastic space telescopes, Hubble and ESA’s Herschel, have teamed up to image one of the most popular astronomical sights in the sky, the “Horsehead” nebula, in infrared  as well as longer wavelengths to provide unprecedented insights as to what’s going on in this stunning star hatchery. Listed in catalogues under ”Barnard 33″, but better known [...]

Lobster nebula shines in new light after infrared observation

Wed, Feb 20, 2013

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Deep inside the Milky Way lies the beautiful star breeding ground known as the Lobster nebula, located in the constellation Scorpius – some 8,000 light-years away from Earth. The nebula has been the subject of study for astronomers for many years, however just recently it has been imaged in infrared for the first time capturing [...]

Newly imaged nebula looks like a manatee in space

Tue, Jan 22, 2013

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The Very Large Array radio telescope network in New Mexico recently captured this amazing view of a 20,000 year old nebula that intriguing enough is shaped like a manatee – the famous and adorable sea cow native to the greater Gulf of Mexico – in its favorite position: floating on its back with its fins across [...]

Beautifully colored ‘seagull nebula’ imaged

Fri, Sep 28, 2012

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Nebulae are among the most brightest objects in the sky, and besides their fantastic halo in the night sky, which served to inspire artists for countless past generations and more to come, they’re also an indispensable part of the Universe’s ‘ecosystem’. Essentially interstellar clouds of dust, gas, hydrogen, helium and other ionised gases, a nebula serves like a [...]

Hubble captures Dorado galaxy [PHOTO]

Mon, Mar 12, 2012

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Located some 62 million-light years away, the Dorado constellation is home to a galaxy cluster, called the Dorado Group, comprised of around 70 galaxies. A pretty massive figure by all accounts, considering the Local Group, which also include the Milky Way, contains a mere 30 galaxies under its belt. Recently, Hubble captured a splendid photo [...]

Pulsating embryonic stars in the Orion Nebula imaged by infrared telescopes

Thu, Mar 1, 2012

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Located beneath the three stars that form the belt of Orion the Hunter, the Orion Nebula is one of the dearest sights for amateur astronomers in the night sky, due to its great visibility, being one of the few nebulae visible with the naked eye. Also known under the name of the Sword of Orion, [...]

Eta Carinae – the star that exploded, but didn’t die

Thu, Feb 16, 2012

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Around 1843, on the night sky all of a sudden a new luminous star made its appearance. That luminous star, which at the time was actually the 2nd brightest star, after Sirius, was actually the result of a explosion in Eta Carinae system – the brightest star in the Milky Way. The eruption spewed a [...]

The Carina Nebula in all its splendor [AMAZING PHOTO]

Wed, Feb 8, 2012

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This incredible photo of the Carina Nebuna, a massive star formation , was taken by the  The European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), in the infrared spectrum. Even the astronomers from the ESO, who are privileged enough to witness some of the most amazing sights in the Universe, claim in a recent press release that [...]

Stars spew out organic matter into space – life may have its origin in star dust

Thu, Oct 27, 2011

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A new study published by researchers at University of Hong Kong has produced controversial waves among the astronomy community, as it claims, backed by sound evidence, that organic matter can be created naturally by stars and travel through out the universe via interstellar dust. It’s somewhat hard to believe, even picture, how organic matter can [...]

Stunning image of “O-ring” shapped nebula

Thu, Jun 16, 2011

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The brilliant image from above was captured by Spitzer space telescope and depicts a ring shaped region formed by hot gas and glowing dust. Dubbed RCW 120, the nebula lies about 4,300 light-years away from Earth, and is located in the constellation Scorpius, just above the plane of the galaxy. The wavelength emited by the [...]

The red square nebula enchants space

Thu, Mar 24, 2011

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There’s nothing Russian about the above fantastic featured photo, but what one can be pretty certain about is that it’s darn right fantastic! Dubbed the “red square nebula”, the phenomena was observed after infrared exposures from Earth-based telescopes in Hawaii and California were superimposed revealing a fantastic geometry. Scientists are still not sure how the [...]

A star is born [great pics]

Fri, Feb 11, 2011

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The nebula you are looking at is known as the North American nebula, and the pictures were taken with the Spitzer telescope, using an infrared vision; researchers still have some unanswered questions about the group of massive stars thought to be dominating the nebula. The lower left of this first image shows the “baby” stars [...]

12 Hubble pictures that will blow your mind

Mon, Sep 13, 2010

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Just in case you haven’t checked it out, the Hubble site has a very impressive collection of pictures that I warmly recommend you check out. I’ve selected just a few to convince you just how crazy amazing they are: All the pictures are property of the Hubble site

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