Jaw-Dropping Footage Of Nebulae, Giant Space Clouds Of Dust And Gas

A nebula is a gigantic space cloud of dust and gas. Several nebulae (more than one nebula) come from the gas and dust thrown out by the explosion of a star that is dying, like a supernova. Other nebulae are giant celestial dust clouds where new stars are starting to form. For that reason, some nebulae are named “star nurseries.”

Nebulae are made of dust and gas—mostly hydrogen and helium. The dust and gas in a nebula are very spread out, though gravity can slowly begin to pull together clumps of dust and gases. As those clumps get bigger and bigger, their gravity tends to get stronger and stronger.

The clump of dust and gases gets so big that eventually, it collapses from its gravity. This collapse makes the material at the center of the cloud heat up-and this hot core becomes the beginning of a star.

These towers of cosmic dust and gas make up part of the Eagle Nebula. These so-called Pillars of Creation are part of an active star-forming region within the nebula. Credits: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Nebulae exist between the stars in the space—also known as interstellar space. The closest known nebula to Earth is called the Helix Nebula. It's the remnant of a dying star—possibly one like the Sun. It's about 700 light years away from Earth. This means that even if we could travel at the speed of light, it would still take us 700 years to get there!

This image might look like a creepy eyeball, but it’s actually a nebula! NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope captured this image of the Helix Nebula, which is located in the constellation Aquarius-about 700 light-years away from Earth. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona

Astronomers use very powerful telescopes to take pictures of faraway nebulae. Space telescopes such as NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope have captured many images of faraway nebulae.

The video was posted by SpacePlace.Nasa.Gov