Nebulas might seem like a complex astronomy concept, but here are the basics: big (BIG) clouds of dust and gases scattered throughout space. Nebulas are closely related to stars – they can create new stars, be created by dying stars, and be illuminated by the light from stars.
Astrophotography has documented nebulas throughout space by using imaging technology like the Hubble Space Telescope and the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the photos they capture are mind-blowing for reasons other than their interstellar subjects: First, these nebula are made of gas and dust particles, many of which don’t appear to the human eye. Astrophotography adds in colors to show different wavelengths that we can’t see, like infrared and UV. They also project light as it would be seen over a long period of time (light years), instead of the brief moments recorded by the eye. Second, and wildest of all, some of the nebula and other interstellar object captured don’t even exist anymore – they have already been destroyed, but the event happened so far away that it hasn’t yet reached earth.
[sstk-mosaic-3]
There are different types of nebula, ranging from bright to dark, wispy to magnificent. Scroll through to see how these “simple” clouds of dust and gas combine to create some of the most astounding regions of our universe.
Dark Nebulae
Dark nebula don’t emit light because their makeup is so dense that they block any light coming from behind.
[sstk-mosaic-4]
Horsehead Nebula
Barnard 33
Constellation: Orion
Distance from Earth: 1,500 light years
Discovered: 1888
Thick clouds of dust block out surrounding light, creating the prominent horse head shape in this nebula, which resides just south of Orion’s Belt.
Snake Nebula
Barnard 72
Constellation: Ophiuchus
Distance from Earth: 650 light years
Discovered: 1919
This nebula was named by E.E. Barnard, who catalogued 370 of these “dark marking of the sky.” The distinct S-shape is part of the much larger Dark Horse nebula.
Emission Nebulae
This type of nebula glows because it’s being energized by radiation from a nearby star.
[sstk-mosaic-5]
Bubble Nebula
NGC 7635
Constellation: Cassiopeia
Distance from Earth: 7,100 light years
Discovered: 1787
The four-million-year-old star star forming inside this nebula emits a stellar wind of super hot gas that drives out the colder gas surrounding it, creating the walls of this neon blue “bubble.”
Carina Nebula
NGC 3372
Constellation: Carina
Distance from Earth: 6,500-10,000 light years
Discovered: 1751
Four times larger and even brighter than Orion, this nebula is still fairly unknown because it’s located in the Southern sky, where it can only be observed from the equator and southern latitudes.
Cone Nebula
NGC 2264
Constellation: Monoceros
Distance from Earth: 2,700 light years
Discovered: 1785
This nebula, often grouped with the Christmas Tree Cluster, is a monstrous pillar of interstellar matter in a volatile star-forming region. UV light from nearby young stars heats the gas surrounding the nebula, creating its ember-like outer-glow.
Tarantula Nebula
30 Doradus
Constellation: Doradus
Distance from Earth: 160,000 light years
Discovered: 1751
A nebula so luminous, if it were as close to Earth as the Orion Nebula, it would cast a shadow. Residing in the Large Megellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to the Milky Way, the nebula provides an observable history of star life cycles for astronomers to study.
Planetary Nebula
Don’t confuse these nebulas with actual planets – they’re shells of ionized gas formed by dying stars, so named for their spherical resemblance to a planet when viewed through an amateur telescope.
[sstk-mosaic-2]
Butterfly Nebula
NGC 6302
Constellation: Scorpius
Distance from Earth: 3,800 light years
Discovered: 1888
The bipolar structure of this nebula is one of the most complex ever discovered, and the star at its center, slowly condensing to a white dwarf, is one of the hottest in the galaxy.
Ring Nebula
NGC 6720
Constellation: Lyra
Distance from Earth: 2,283 light years
Discovered: 1779
The star that gave rise to this stunning nebula was several times larger than the sun. Now, the remains of the star are a white dwarf that has shed its outer layers of gas, creating the outer rings you see above.
Reflection Nebula
This type of nebula does not emit any light of its own – its particles merely reflect light from a nearby star.
Merope Nebula
NGC 1435
Constellation: Taurus
Distance from Earth: 440 light years
Discovered: 1859
This faint and wispy nebula wraps itself around the icy blue Pleiades star cluster, and is almost entirely illuminated by one of the cluster’s stars, Merope (pictured bottom).
Ghost Nebula
VdB 141
Constellation: Cepheus
Distance from Earth: 1,470 light years
This eerie nebula has a striking resemblance the gauzy veil of a ghost. It’s reflected by multiple star formations in the Cepheus constellation.
