Nebulae

A nebula is a huge cloud in space. It is made of gas and dust. Nebulae can be many colors, like pink, blue, or purple. Some nebulae are where new stars are born. Others are left over when a star dies.

Star Nurseries

Some nebulae are called star nurseries. Inside them, gas and dust clump together. Over time, these clumps grow hot and become new stars. The famous Orion Nebula is a place where baby stars are being made.

A tall, glowing pillar of gas and dust where new stars are being born.
A tall, glowing pillar of gas and dust where new stars are being born. (NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team / Wikimedia Commons)

Shapes and Colors

Nebulae come in many shapes and sizes. Some look like horses, crabs, or rings. They glow because stars nearby light up their gas. Telescopes can take beautiful pictures of them.

Fun Facts

  • The word nebula means cloud in Latin.
  • Some nebulae are many light-years wide.
  • The Crab Nebula is left over from a star that exploded long ago.

Did You Know?

Our Sun and all the planets formed from a nebula about 4.6 billion years ago!