Nebula

interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen, helium

and other ionized gases

The Crab nebula photographed by Hubble. Probably

the most famous of all supernova remnants
Portion of the Carina nebula, a region of massive star
formation in the southern skies. It is the home of Eta
Carinae, a huge young star

A nebula [1] is an interstellar cloud of dust,

hydrogen, helium and other ionized gases
in a galaxy.

The Persian astronomer, Abd al-Rahman

al-Sufi, mentioned a true nebula for the
first time in his book, Book of Fixed Stars
(964).[2] He said that there was a "little
cloud" near the Andromeda galaxy.[3]

Origin
A nebula is usually made up of hydrogen
gas and plasma. It may be the first stage
of a star's cycle, but it may also be one of
the last stages.

Many nebulae or stars form from the

gravitational collapse of gas in the
interstellar medium or ISM. As the material
contracts, massive stars may form in the
center, and their ultraviolet radiation
ionises the surrounding gas, making it
visible at optical wavelengths.

The size of these nebulae, known as H II

regions, varies depending on the size of
the original cloud of gas. These are sites
where star formation occurs. The formed
stars are sometimes known as a young,
loose cluster.

Some nebulae are formed as the result of

supernova explosions, the death throes of
massive, short-lived stars. The materials
thrown off from the supernova explosion
are ionized by the energy and the compact
object that it can produce. One of the best
examples of this is the Crab nebula, in
Taurus. The supernova event was
recorded in the year 1054 and is labelled
SN 1054. The compact object that was
created after the explosion lies in the
center of the Crab Nebula and is a neutron
star.

Other nebulae may form as planetary

nebulae. This is the final stage of a low-
mass star's life, like Earth's Sun. Stars with
a mass up to 8-10 solar masses evolve
into red giants and slowly lose their outer
layers during pulsations in their
atmospheres. When a star has lost enough
material, its temperature increases and the
ultraviolet radiation it emits can ionize the
surrounding nebula that it has thrown off.
The nebula is 97% Hydrogen and 3%
Helium with trace materials.

In the past galaxies and star clusters were

also called 'nebulae', but no longer.
Nebulae can be sorted by what they look
like and why we can see them.

Star-forming regions and

diffuse nebulae
The dark nebula Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex

Large regions of ionised hydrogen gas are

produced by star-forming regions. Nebulae
are often star-forming regions, such as in
the Orion complex. In these regions
gravitation pulls together gas and dust.
Material clumps together to form larger
masses, which attract further matter.
Eventually this become massive enough to
form stars. The material left over may
form planets and other planetary system
objects.

Four planetary nebulae

Emission nebulae / H II regions …

Emission nebulae make their own light.

They are often called H II regions, because
it is the ionized hydrogen which makes
them glow. Usually the gases in an
emission nebula are ionized. This makes
them emit light and infra-red radiation.

Reflection nebulae …

Reflection nebulae reflect light from

nearby stars.

Dark nebulae …

Dark nebulae do not emit light or reflect

light. They block the light from stars that
are far away.

Planetary nebulae
Planetary nebulae are quite common,
because they are produced by red giant
stars late in their lives. These stars usually
become white dwarfs, leaving behind an
expanding ball of ionized gas, which we
see as a roughly circular bright nebula.

Supernova remnants
A supernova occurs when a high-mass
star reaches the end of its life. When
nuclear fusion in the core of the star stops,
the star collapses and explodes .[4] The
expanding shell of gas forms a supernova
remnant. The Crab nebula is a supernova
remnant which probably exploded in 1054
AD. Light and X-ray emission from
supernova remnants comes from ionized
gas. There is a huge amount of radio
emission called synchrotron emission.[4]
This emission originates from high-
velocity electrons oscillating in magnetic
fields.

References
1. Latin for "cloud"; pl. nebulae, nebulæ,
or nebulas. Nebula , Online Etymology
Dictionary
2. Kenneth Glyn Jones 1991. Messier's
nebulae and star clusters. Cambridge
University Press. p1 ISBN 0521370795
 3. Harrison, T.G. (March 1984). "The
Orion Nebula — where in history is it".
Royal Astronomical Society Quarterly
Journal 25 (1): 70–73.
4. Shu F.H. 1982. The physical universe.
Mill Valley, California: University
Science Books. ISBN 0-935702-05-9

Other websites
Media related to Nebula at Wikimedia
Commons
"Space-and-Telescope.com" . space-and-
telescope.com. Retrieved 24 September
2010.
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