Emission nebula facts for kids
Imagine a giant, colorful cloud in space! That's an emission nebula. It's a huge cloud of hot gas, called plasma, that glows brightly with many different colors. This amazing glow happens because there's a very hot star nearby. The star's energy makes the gas light up, just like a neon sign!
There are a few kinds of emission nebulae. Some, called H II regions, are places where brand new stars are being born. These young stars are super hot and make the surrounding gas glow. Other emission nebulae are called Planetary nebulae. These form when an old, dying star sheds its outer layers. The hot core of the dying star then heats up these layers, making them shine.
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What Makes Nebulae Glow?
The colors you see in an emission nebula depend on two main things. First, it depends on what chemicals or gases are inside the cloud. Second, it depends on how much these gases are ionized. Ionization means the gas atoms have lost or gained electrons, which makes them glow when heated.
Most of the universe is made of hydrogen. Because of this, many emission nebulae look red. Hydrogen gas glows red when it gets very hot. If a nebula is extremely hot, other types of gas might also start to glow. This can make the nebula shine with beautiful blue and green colors too. By looking at which colors are glowing, scientists can figure out what the nebula is made of.
Why Do Nebulae Have Dark Spots?
Sometimes, when you look at pictures of emission nebulae, they seem to have dark patches or areas. These dark spots are not empty spaces. Instead, they are caused by thick clouds of dust. This dust blocks the light coming from the glowing nebula. It's like a cosmic curtain hiding parts of the bright show! The dust absorbs the light as it travels towards Earth.
Related Space Clouds
Images for kids
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Planetary nebulae, represented here by the Ring Nebula, are examples of emission nebulae.
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Emission nebula LHA 120-N 55 in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
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Hubble image of emission nebula NGC 2174.
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Hubble image of emission nebula NGC 2313.
In Spanish: Nebulosa de emisión para niños
