Types of nebulae Flashcards
what are nebulae?
INTERSTELLAR CLOUDS OF GAS AND DUST IN SPACE -PRIMARILY THE BIRTHPLACE/WHERE THEY DIE OF STARS
TWO BROAD CLASSES TO CLASSIFY NEBULAE:
DARK NEBULAE/BRIGHT NEBULAE
WHAT ARE DARK NEBULAE?
INTERSTELLAR CLOUDS OF DUST AND GAS THAT ARE SO DENSE THEY BLOCK VISIBLE LIGHT FROM OBJECTS BEHIND THEM
WHAT ARE BRIGHT NEBULAE?
bright nebulae emit or reflect light depending on nebula.
WHAT ARE 5 MAJOR TYPES OF NEBULAE?
EMISSION NEBULAE, REFLECTION NEBULAE, DARK NEBULAE PLANETARY NEBULAE, AND SUPERNOVA REMNANTS
WHAT IS AN EMISSION NEBULAE?
clouds of gas that emit light and are created when stars ionize the gas around them (These nebulae are bright, colorful, and self-luminous. They are made of ionized gases that emit light of different wavelengths)
WHAT ARE REFLECTION NEBULAE?
a cloud of dust and gas that reflects light from nearby stars, rather than producing its own light
HOW DO EMISSION NEBULAE FORM?
The ultraviolet radiation from a nearby star strips electrons from the hydrogen atoms in the gas, a process called ionization. The electrons then recombine with the atoms, releasing energy in the form of light.
2 EXAMPLES OF EMISSION NEBULAE
H II REGION AND PLANETARY NEBULAE
Emission nebulae are clouds of gas and dust in space that are heated by stars, causing the gas to glow in different colors. The atoms and electrons in the nebula recombine, emitting light in a characteristic pattern of bright spectral lines.
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EXAMPLE OF EMISSION NEBULAE
Orion Nebula
HOW DO REFLECTION NEBULAE FORM?
Light from a nearby star is scattered and reflected off dust particles within a cloud of interstellar gas and dust, thus illuminating the cloud by reflecting the starlight, but not being hot enough to ionize gas like emission nebulae.
WHAT DO REFLECTION NEBULAE LOOK LIKE?
Scattering process may give reflection nebulae bluish appearance due to the way blue light scatters more effectively than red light.
EXPLAIN THE BRIGHTNESS OF REFLECTION NEBULAE IN REGARDS TO SIZE.
The brightness of a reflection nebula depends on the size and density of the reflecting grains, as well as the color and brightness of the nearby stars.
WHERE ARE REFLECTION NEBULAE FOUND?
The brightest reflection nebulae are often found where new stars are being formed.
