6 steps · 7 min
Reading a Nebula
Six images turn clouds of gas and dust into structures you can learn to read.
Learning objective
Recognize how shape, wavelength and combined observations reveal different physical structures in nebulae.
- 01
Dust changes the view
Which structures survive when the wavelength changes?
Unwrapping the Pillars - 02
A cloud has layers
Where do dense material and exposed edges separate?
Eagle Nebula Flaunts its Infrared Feathers - 03
Follow the cavity
Can you trace where young stars have pushed material aside?
SOFIA Reveals How the Swan Nebula Hatched - 04
Read the energy
Which structures belong to hot gas and which to cooler dust?
The Pacman Nebula - 05
A remnant in motion
What suggests expansion away from a compact center?
Crab Nebula, as Seen by Herschel and Hubble - 06
One object, many instruments
What becomes legible only after several observatories are combined?
Observatories Combine to Crack Open the Crab Nebula