Skip to main content
nebula

nebula

29 8.2
A large cloud of gas and dust in space that often looks like a bright patch in the sky
  • noun
  • /ˈnɛbjʊlə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : nebulosa
  • Very few people have actually seen the StarCave Nebula.
  • planetary nebula
  • solar nebula
  • dark nebula

OK, well, I think we should move on to the Southern Ring Nebula to try to explain this one to people.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • It's a rather beautiful star forming nebula that I guess it's some hundreds of light years away.

  • OK, well, I think we should move on to the Southern Ring Nebula to try to explain this one to people.

  • Large though these factors may be, they still leave the gas in the nebula far less dense than air.

    Academic text (1991)
  • This is the Rosette Nebula, and it also is mostly glowing red.

  • To the naked eye, this nebula appears as a fuzzy patch near the southeastern border of the LMC.

    Academic text (2002)
  • The surrounding nebula is illuminated by light escaping perpendicular to the disk.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Astronomers also found significant amounts of dust throughout the nebula, concentrated in the densest, coolest filaments.

    Academic text (1994)
  • The nebula is a stunning region of star formation visible in the night sky.

  • Astronomers study the colorful patterns in the nebula to understand stellar explosions.

  • The Horsehead nebula, with its distinctive shape, captivates both amateur and professional astronomers.

Synonyms

planetary nebula
vsnebula
  • Specialized
3 7.7

A glowing shell of gas thrown off by a dying star and lit by the star's strong light

is a vast interstellar cloud rather than a star-ejected shell
gaseous nebula
vsnebula
  • Specialized
8.4

A bright cloud of gas and dust in space where new stars can form

is a general immense cloud visible as bright or dark patches, not only luminous ones
diffuse nebula
vsnebula
  • Specialized
9.1

A cloud of gas and dust lit by nearby stars, seen as a faint hazy patch in the sky

is the general immense cloud, not limited to faint hazy patches

Compounds

planetary nebula
  • Specialized
3 7.7

A glowing shell of gas thrown off by a dying star and lit by the star's strong light

2 8.2

The remains of a star explosion that people first saw in 1054 in the constellation Taurus

spiral nebula
  • Archaic
1 8.1

A large group of stars in a flat spiral shape with arms of young stars around an older centre

diffuse nebula
  • Specialized
9.1

A cloud of gas and dust lit by nearby stars, seen as a faint hazy patch in the sky

9.9

A large group of stars and dust outside our galaxy

gaseous nebula
  • Specialized
8.4

A bright cloud of gas and dust in space where new stars can form

How Bright

gaseous nebula
  • Specialized
8.4
nebula
  • Specialized
29 8.2
diffuse nebula
  • Specialized
9.1

Surface Forms

nebula singular
nebulas plural

Etymology

Nebula comes from the Latin nebula meaning 'mist' or 'cloud', so a space nebula is literally a 'cloud' of gas and dust in space, like a colorful fog you can see with a telescope.