All we should know about "NEBULAE" - (Cosmo clouds)

 

Nebulae (Cloud of gas)

Nebulas are very important "clouds" in interstellar space. They can create stars, planets, even entire solar systems. Since we have observed nebulae, we actually ended up realizing that there is more than one Galaxy in the Universe.








The first discovered galaxy, the Andromeda Galaxy, was first thought to be a nebula. Let's see precisely what a nebula is, how they came to be, and why they are so important.

What is a Nebula?

Nebulae are majestic objects that look like clouds. They are made of hydrogen, helium, interstellar ice, and other gasses. Initially, the label "nebula" was used to describe all of the diffused astronomical objects, even galaxies.

How do the Nebulae Form?

Nebulae are created in the interstellar medium, and they are the result of gasses breakdown. When gas, hydrogen, helium, ions, particles, and electrons particles clump together, they form nebulae.

Why are Nebulae Important?

The first mention of the word "nebulae" was made in 1964 by the Persian discoverer Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi who noticed "the Andromeda Nebula, " which was later classified as The Andromeda Galaxy. 

Nebulae were a thing before the concept of galaxies. The nature of galaxies was acknowledged in the 20th century by Vesto Slipher, Edwin Hubble, and others.


Fun Facts About Nebulas

- The Almighty Sun was created in a nebula, the solar nebula, and it is believed that in 5 billion years from now, the Sun itself will become a nebula.

-The Orion Nebula is the closest one to the Earth. 

- Nebulae are also known as "Stellar Nurseries" because stars are born in them.

- The nebulae outside the Milky Way are referred to as extra-galactic nebulae.

- Diffuse Nebulae are very well outspread and don't have any limits, or so we believe.

- A dark nebula is very dense. Its items seem to be obscured. An example of a dark nebula is the Horsehead Nebula.

Size and Comparison

Nebulas range in size from 1 AU to 10 AU, possibly even more. Nebulae almost lack density. A nebula as big as the Earth would only weigh a few kilograms.

Trivia

What is the Biggest Nebula Ever Discovered?

The biggest Nebula ever discovered is the Tarantula Nebula. At first, it was thought to be a star, but later on, in 1751, it got its proper recognition. The Tarantula Nebula has an apparent magnitude of +8, and it is 160,000 light-years away. It is known for its luminosity and colorfulness. 

                                          fig. Tarantula nebulae

Are we Inside a Nebula?

Our planet is not part of any Nebulae. If we lived inside a nebula, it would be visible every day in the night sky. Also, brighter Auroras would make their presence felt.

The closest nebula to Earth is "Helix Nebula," which is a leftover of a dying star (one similar to the Sun).

What Does a Nebula do?

When a nebula contracts, it flattens into a disk-like shape. The specks collide and form planetesimals. However, nebulae are most famous for "creating" stars. 

Are Nebulae Dangerous?

Nebulae are not dangerous. If you were to pass through one, it wouldn't make any difference than traveling elsewhere in space. 

Other Characteristics of Nebulas

The colorful Cat's Eye Nebula is a planetary nebula. Planetary nebulae are formed in the wake of White dwarfs. Nebulae can also form as a result of a huge star or white dwarf going supernova. For example, The Crab Nebula was created by a supernova in 1054. 

Types of Nebula

There are many different types of nebulae and they are classified as being emission, diffuse, reflective or dark after the way they interact with energy from nearby stars. Before their nature was understood, galaxies and star clusters too distant to be resolved as stars were also classified as nebulosity.

Emission Nebula


An emission nebula is a gas cloud of ionized gas or plasma which is emitting light at various wavelengths. The most common source for ionization comes from high-energy photons emitted by a nearby star. Among the different types of emission nebula are HII regions in which star formation is taking place and young massive stars are the source of the ionizing photons. Planetary nebulae consist of a dying star which has thrown off its outer layers, with the exposed hot core then ionizing the gas.

Diffuse Nebulae



Most nebulae can be described as diffuse, which means that they are extended and contain no well-defined boundaries.A good example is the Messier 43 (shown above) where the diffuse nebulae near the stars are examples of reflection nebula. These irregular clouds consist of interstellar matter, gas and dust within which stars can be born.

                           Dark gas clouds are similar to the diffuse kind, but they are not seen by their emitted or reflected light. Instead, they are seen as dark clouds in front of more distant stars or in front of emission. They are usually very dense and can obscure the light from stars behind them. A good example is the Horsehead Nebula and the Coalsack Nebula.

Reflection Nebulae



Reflection nebulae are clouds of dust which reflect the light of a nearby star. The energy from the nearby star is insufficient to ionize the gas to create an emission nebula, but is enough to give sufficient scattering to make the dust visible, thus the frequency spectrum shown by reflection is similar to that of the illuminating stars.

       Reflection nebulae are usually blue because the scattering is more efficient for blue light than red. This is the same scattering process that gives us blue skies and red sunsets.

Planetary Nebulae




Planetary nebulae form from the gaseous shells that are ejected from low-mass giant stars when they reach the end of their lives and transform into white dwarfs. These are emission nebulae with spectral emission that is similar to that found in star formation regions.

Supernova Remnant

                                    fig .The Crab Nebula is an example of a supernova remnant









A Supernova occurs when a high mass star reaches the end of its life. When this happens, the star sheds its outer layers as a superheated cloud of ionized gas. Much of the optical and X-ray emissions originate from the ionized gas, but a substantial amount of the radio emission is a form of non-thermal emission called synchrotron emission which originates within the magnetic field.

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