Dark nebula facts for kids

Dark nebulae are like giant clouds in space. They are made of dust and gas. But unlike other space clouds, they don't glow or reflect light. We can only see them because they block the light from stars and galaxies behind them. Imagine a dark cloud hiding the sun!

Discovering Dark Nebulae

A famous astronomer named Edward Emerson Barnard spent a lot of time studying these dark clouds. He made a special list of them. This list is called the Barnard Catalogue of Dark Markings in the Sky. Or, for short, it's known as the Barnard Catalogue. The dark nebulae on his list are now called Barnard objects.

Famous Dark Nebulae You Should Know

Here are some of the most well-known dark nebulae:

The Horsehead Nebula, a famous dark nebula.

• Coalsack nebula: This one looks like a dark patch in the Milky Way galaxy.
• Cone nebula: It's shaped like a cone, as its name suggests.
• Dark Doodad nebula: A long, thin, and winding dark cloud.
• Dark Horse nebula: This large nebula looks like a horse in the sky.
• Horsehead nebula (Barnard 33): One of the most famous nebulae, shaped like a horse's head.
• Pipe nebula: This nebula looks like a smoking pipe. It includes several Barnard objects like Barnard 59, 77, and 78.
• Snake nebula: Another long, winding nebula that looks like a snake.

Images for kids

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  The Milky Way as seen by Gaia. You can see dark features and bright star clouds.

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  Main dark nebulae in one half of our galaxy's flat disk.

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  Main dark nebulae in the other half of our galaxy's flat disk.

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  A close-up view of the Orion Arm of our galaxy. It shows groups of stars (yellow), glowing nebulae (red), and dark nebulae (grey).

See also

In Spanish: Nebulosa oscura para niños