The numbers
- What they are
- Clouds of gas and dustBetween one star and the next
- The cradles
- New stars are born inside
- Reflection nebulae
- They shine with borrowed light
- The remains
- What a star leaves as it dies
To get an idea
Some nebulae are cradles where stars are born, others are what a star leaves behind as it dies.
To the naked eye nebulae look gray: the colors in the photographs come from long exposures.
Fun facts
These are not in the book: there was no room on paper.
Planetary nebulae have nothing to do with planets: it is an old name that stuck.
Supernova remnants are nebulae formed from everything an explosion has scattered around.
To the naked eye and through binoculars nebulae look gray, not colorful as in photos.
The colors of astronomy photographs come from long exposures, which collect light.
Dark nebulae give off no light and are noticed because they hide the stars behind them.
Test yourself
The first question is the one printed under the QR code, with the answer the book did not give. The other four only exist here.
Question 1 of 5★ is the one from your book
What are nebulae?
Question 2 of 5
Where does the name come from?
Question 3 of 5
What happens inside some nebulae?
Question 4 of 5
What was the Andromeda Galaxy once called?
Question 5 of 5
What color do they look through binoculars?
Riddles
Some of us are cradles where baby stars come into the world, others are what is left of those who died. Same name, opposite jobs. What are we?
In photographs I am red, blue and gold, but if you look at me with your own eyes I am just a gray veil. I am not fooling you: it is a matter of time. What am I?
Try it yourself
Look at it out of the corner of your eye instead of straight on: faint parts of the sky are easier to see with side vision.
Compare what you see with a photograph of the same nebula: the shape is the same, the colors were added by the long exposure.
The words
- dark nebula
- A cloud of dust that gives off no light and hides what is behind it.
Sources: Wikidata (Q13181), Wikipedia (Nebulosa).