Hello, today I want to talk about nebulae…. What is nebula? Nebula,
(Latin: “mist” or “cloud”) plural nebulae or nebulas. A nebula is an
interstellar cloud in outer space that is made up of dust, hydrogen and helium
gas, and plasma. It is formed when portions of the interstellar medium collapse
and clump together due to the gravitational attraction of the particles that
comprise them.
For those who are not aware of this yet, outer space is not
really totally a vacuum (although it may sometimes be approximated as such).
Rather, it is made up of gas and dust known collectively as the interstellar
medium or ISM. So, it is this dispersed matter that eventually collapses and
forms a nebula.
Nebulae, like the Orion Nebula, are often favorite
astronomical objects of scientists who want to learn more about stellar or
planetary formation. You see, parts of a nebula may clump together some more.
The gravitational forces between particles is directly proportional to the
masses, remember?
Thus, the more masses clump together, the greater their
gravitational attraction will be to other bodies and particles in their
vicinity. As the particles clump further to form larger and more massive
structures, they attract more dust and gas. The pressure inside then gets so
high that nuclear fusion ensues. This results in the emission of high-energy
electromagnetic radiation, which in turn ionizes the outer layers of gas.
Ionized gas is plasma, and so plasma and electromagnetic
radiation are now added to the mix. This now becomes the earliest stages of
star formation, and is what some scientists are most interested about.
Actually, nebulae are not just the starting points of
stellar evolution. Ironically, they can also be the end points. You can think
of this as the nebula-star-nebula cycle. Stars that evolve into red giants can
lose their outer layers during pulsations in their outer layers, known as their
atmospheres. This released matter is typically 97% hydrogen and 3% helium, with
a few other trace materials.
It is this released matter that forms what is known as a
planetary nebula. The planetary nebula is just one of four major types of
nebulae. The other three are H II regions, supernova remnant, and dark nebula.
Some of the more prominent nebulae are the Crab, Eagle, Orion,
Pelican, Ring, and Rosette Nebula.
That all I want to say about nebula…. If you want more
information visit this website…..
credited to universe today.........