Nebulae and their Relation to the Birth of Stars

Many of us have been completely seduced by the beauty of the pictures of nebulae that modern telescopes have been able to capture for a couple of years.

But nebulae are not only beautiful formations to be observed, they also provide a lot of information about the nature of galaxies.

Understanding the nature of a nebula is a great starting point to begin studying astronomy, as they contain the elements and promote the chemical processes necessary for the formation of celestial bodies like the stars

Nebulae have been a much-discussed field of research in astronomy for centuries, almost right after the invention of the first telescope. As late as the XNUMXth century, astronomers knew that these hyperclusters of matter would be capable of unlocking some of the most intricate secrets of the universe; like the birth of stars.

Nowadays, technological tools, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, have provided us with much more accurate data that have allowed us to broaden our understanding of nebulae: their composition, chemical processes, importance for the interstellar medium, etc.

If you are an astronomy lover, then this article on space nebulae is not something you want to miss. However, before getting into the matter, let's review the basics on the subject.

Other fascinating objects exist within the confines of our universe. Don't miss our article on the origin of black holes

What is a nebula?

Nebulae are gaseous formations within the interstellar medium, that is, they are formed within the limits of galaxies. They can be observed mainly within the disks of spiral galaxies or at any point in irregular galaxies (because they do not have a defined gravitational system).

It is not common to find nebulae of any kind in elliptical galaxies, because these are populated mainly by very old stars, while nebulae are related to the process of birth of new stars.

A nebula is basically a cloud of interstellar gases, whose main element are the particles of helium and hydrogen that agglomerate in regions of space due to the effect of the gravitational fields of the particles. 

However, planetary nebulae are also formations rich in other heavier chemical elements such as nickel, iron, oxygen, carbon and silicon, in cases where they have formed after the implosion of dying massive stars.

This is because many nebulae are formed from the explosion of supernovae, but this is a topic that we will explain later.

According to their amount or type of emission of matter and energy, nebulae can be classified into three large families

Dark nebulae

Dark nebulae are also known as absorption nebulae. They are made up of large accumulations of interstellar dust and gases that lack an energy source capable of ionizing the particles.  

They are called that because they are not really capable of emitting any energy or light record, however, they are capable of absorbing the light of other nebulae or stars that are close to them.

Due to their lack of their own light pulses, absorption nebulae are extremely difficult to observe with telescopes. The only way to locate them is to use the diffused light of stellar sectors that are behind them.

Perhaps a good example of a dark nebula is the Coalsack Nebula, which lies just east of the constellation Southern Cross. Horsehead is another non-emission nebula that can be seen from Earth thanks to the contrast caused by stars in Orion's Belt.

absorption nebulae

To observe this type of nebula at a great distance, it is necessary to use telescopes capable of studying in infrared. 

In our Milky Way we have discovered different nebula formations that fit into this category. Although they cannot be seen clearly, their presence is discovered by the diffuse spots that can be noticed on the luminous fringe of our galaxy when observed.

Emission nebulae

Emission nebulae are a real sight to behold, which any astronomy lover would love to enjoy. They are mainly made up of incredible accumulations of hydrogen particles, as well as stardust and other chemical elements such as nitrogen, sulfur, helium, oxygen, neon, iron and carbon. All necessary for star formation.

The intense brightness originating from the emission nebulae is the product of the enormous flux of radiation that it gives off as a consequence of the chemical activity in its interior, caused by the ionization process of the particles (mainly due to the process of formation of new stars).

This category usually includes nebulae of enormous sizes, made up of one or several HII regions, which are basically giant clouds of plasma and hydrogen, where highly populated stellar regions usually form.

An emission nebula can be related to one of two subcategories, according to its origin or nature.

Nebulae related to the formation of new stars

Some emission nebulae are the intergalactic regions that are associated with the highest rate of new star formation. The examples that we find within this category have a very intense brightness and a record of very strong ultraviolet radiation emission.

This happens because they have a very dense population of young and very hot stars within their interior.

Possibly the best example we can give of nebulae associated with the birth of stars is the Orion Nebula, Located just over 1200 light years from our planet, with an extension of 24 light years, it is a giant that contains complete star clusters and other smaller nebulae in its interior.

Nebulae related to dying stars

This category is much more widely known as planetary nebulae, despite the fact that they do not have any kind of relationship with the planets known so far.

A planetary nebula is the product of the expansion of ionized gases and large amounts of plasma that are produced at the time of the collapse of a giant red star. That is, when a star becomes a supernova.

The flashes of plasma and ionized particles are capable of giving off a huge amount of radiation, so they shine very intensely, however, all this energy is contained by an envelope of gases.

Planetary nebulae are possibly the most observed and studied type of nebula in astronomy because they have helped us understand the recycling process of matter that governs the universe.

During the collapse of supernovae, they return to the space environment a large amount of "borrowed" chemical elements that had been used to form a star that has already completed its life cycle and that will be used to form new stars.

The Helix Nebula or "The Eye of God" is a perfect example of a nebula formed from the collision of a yellow star (much like our sun). This presents a fairly large expansion of ionized gases, dominated by the gravitational field of a weak white dwarf star.

planetary nebulae

reflection nebulae

A reflection nebula is also an interstellar dust cloud, however, in this case it is not capable of generating enough energy to ionize the particles inside it, so it does not produce its own light. Instead, it reflects energy generated by stars and other nearby emission nebulae. 

Their high concentration of carbon particles (in the form of diamond dust) is one of the reasons why reflection nebulae are capable of scattering nearby light from other celestial bodies.

Like emission nebulae, they are made up of large amounts of interstellar dust and particles of hydrogen, oxygen, silicon, nickel, helium, and iron.

Although they are not capable of generating their own light, the blurring effect of the "borrowed" luminosity makes it relatively easy to observe reflection nebulae with amateur telescopes.

Perhaps in this category, one of the famous nebulae is the Pleiades Nebula, a cloud located about 400 light-years from Earth, believed to be made up of about 500 to 1000 young, blue-glowing stars.

reflection nebula

Names of famous nebulae

crab nebula

The Crab Nebula was first observed by the English astronomer John Bevis in 1731. This nebula is a spectacular example of plerion-type planetary nebula

It was formed from the remains of a supernova that was documented from Earth on July 4, 1054 by Arab astronomers.

The Crab Nebula is relatively far away, 6300 light-years from our planet, and is believed to still be expanding at a rate of 1500 km/s, which it will continue to do until it expels all the leftover debris from the collapsed star. Currently, the Crab Nebula has a diameter of 6 light years.

The Crab Nebula became famous because it was the first emission nebula studied to prove that supernova explosions are a phenomenon capable of producing pulses.

Orion Nebula

orion nebula

The Orion Nebula is also known as Messier 42 in astronomical terms. This is a diffuse type nebula that can be located just south of the constellation Orion's Belt, for which it is named.

The constellation of Orion is of the diffuse type because, due to its great extension, within a single body it presents different regions with characteristics of an expansion nebula and a reflection nebula.

Due to the great amount of luminosity, as a product of its high radioactive activity, observing the Orion Nebula is relatively easy from Earth. This has made it one of the most photographed and studied galactic elements in all of history.

His study has helped us understand the process of formation of new stars within the galactic medium, as a product of the collision of dust clusters and gases such as hydrogen, oxygen and carbon.

The Orion Nebula is so large that it contains other nebulae with a variety of characteristics such as: the Horsehead Nebula, the Mairan Nebula, M78 and the Flame Nebula, not counting tens of thousands of young stars.

Eagle Nebula

eagle nebulae

It is an emission nebula made up of a Region H II with a really impressive new star birth activity. It is located at a distance of almost 7000 light years from our system, although it can be seen in detail thanks to its magnificent rate of energy emission.

This cluster is believed to currently contain about 600 young spectral-like stars, and its high concentrations of molecular hydrogen are constantly stimulating the production of more stars.

The Eagle Nebula is a very interesting object of study for astronomers and has also become very famous for amateurs because within it are located the “Pillars of Creation”, a mega cluster of interstellar gases that give way to the birth of new stars at a very rapid rate.

Cat's Eye Nebula

Just look at the photograph taken by the Hubble Space Telescope to be absolutely amazed at the Cat's Eye Nebula.

cat's eye nebula

Cat's Eye is another example of a planetary nebula. This has been formed from the collapse of a massive star in the Dragon constellation and was discovered in 1786 by William Herschel.

The cat's eye nebula has become a vital study object for astronomy due to the high complexity of its internal structure, something that can be seen with the naked eye just by looking at one of its photographs.

Inside you can see large concentrations of high-brightness energy, jets of plasma and stellar material, all hovering around a small, very young central star of spectral type, which is believed to be 10.000 times more luminous than our own sun. .

Cat's Eye is a relatively young nebula, as scientists believe that due to its current size, compared to the rate of expansion of its matter, it could be only about a thousand years old.


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