Nebula, A Beautiful Cloud As A Place of Star Formation

by Hilya Safa · Published February 12, 2016 · Updated March 19, 2016

Nebula Wallpaper

“Nebula“, a word that feels quite familiar we hear, what it nebula? The nebula is an interstellar cloudcomposed of dust, gas and plasma. Nebula comes from the Latin is “Nebule”. Formerly nebula is used as a generic name for astronomical object that is too broad, for example, just before we would hear the use of the name of the Andromeda Nebula, Nebula Magellan, etc., which refers to an object that is not very well known, and the use of the word “Nebula”, seems still often used until now.

HII regions are the birthplace of stars. They are formed when a very broad molecular clouds collapse under its own gravitational force, often caused by the influence of a supernova explosion that is nearby. Cloud collapsed and fragmented, forming up to hundreds of new stars. Newly formed star will ionize the gas in the surrounding areas so as to create emission nebula.

Other nebula are formed by the star’s death. A star is undergoing a transition to the white dwarf stage blowing its outer part to form a planetary nebula. Novae and supernovae can also create nebula known as nova remnant and the supernova remnant.

Stars with masses up to 8-10 times the mass of the sun will evolve into a red giant and slowly lose their outer layers during pulsations in their atmospheres. When a star has lost enough material, temperature increases and can emit ultraviolet radiation thationizes the surrounding nebula has been thrown. The nebula is nearly 97% of hydrogen and 3% of helium, plus traces of other elements.

The History of Nebula

Around 150 BC, Ptolemy wrote about nebula objects in the between constellation of Ursa Major and Leo.

In 1504, Arab and Chinese researchers suggested that the Crab Nebula was formed from a huge explosion, called supernova SN 1504.

In 1610, November 26, Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc (French astronomer who tries to make a map of the lunar surface, but had died before its completion) investigated the Orion Nebula through a telescope.

From the year 1751-1753, a lot of nebula is found, then Charles Messier, rename the nebula become messier and explain the real nebula.

Well, this is some of the names for the nebula found: Cat’s eye Nebula, Crab Nebula, Magellan Nebula, ant Nebula, Egg Nebula, Omega Nebula, Cat’s Paw Nebula

The following are some pictures of nebula: