nebula

[ neb-yuh-luh ]

noun

, plural neb·u·lae [neb, -y, uh, -lee, -lahy], neb·u·las.

1. Astronomy.
   1. Also called diffuse nebula. a cloud of interstellar gas and dust. Compare dark nebula, emission nebula, reflection nebula.
   2. (formerly) any celestial object that appears nebulous, hazy, or fuzzy, and extended in a telescope view.
2. Pathology.
   1. a faint opacity in the cornea.
   2. cloudiness in the urine.
3. any liquid medication prepared for use as a spray.

nebula

/ ˈnɛbjʊlə /

noun

1. astronomy a diffuse cloud of particles and gases (mainly hydrogen) that is visible either as a hazy patch of light (either an emission or a reflection nebula ) or an irregular dark region against a brighter background ( dark nebula ) Compare planetary nebula
2. pathol
   1. opacity of the cornea
   2. cloudiness of the urine
3. any substance for use in an atomizer spray

nebula

/ nĕb′yə-lə /

, Plural nebulae nĕb′yə-lē′

1. A visible, thinly spread cloud of interstellar gas and dust. Some nebulae are the remnants of a supernova explosion, others are gravity-induced condensations of the gases in the interstellar medium which in certain cases may become a site for the formation of new stars. The term was formerly used of any hazy, seemingly cloudlike object, including what are now recognized as other galaxies beyond the Milky Way; it is restricted now to actual clouds of gas and dust within our own galaxy.
2. ◆ Nebulae are generally classified as bright or dark. Among the bright nebulae are cold clouds that reflect light from nearby stars ( reflection nebulae ) and hot, ionized clouds that glow with their own light ( emission nebulae ). Dark nebulae—cold clouds that absorb the passing light from background stars—are called absorption nebulae .
3. See more at star

nebula

1. plur. nebulae In astronomy , a hazy patch of light visible in the sky. Some nebulae are clouds of gas within the Milky Way ; others are distant galaxies .

Derived Forms

• ˈnebular, adjective

Other Words From

• nebu·lar adjective
• non·nebu·lar adjective
• pre·nebu·lar adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nebula¹

First recorded in 1655–65; from Latin: “cloud, mist, vapor”; akin to German Nebel “fog, haze,” Greek nephélē “cloud,” Sanskrit nábha- “cloud, vapor”

Word History and Origins

Origin of nebula¹

C17: from Latin: mist, cloud; related to Greek nephétē cloud, Old High German nebul cloud, Old Norse njól night

Example Sentences

The image was created by taking lots of pictures of the nebula and combining them into one.

From BBC

Kane described his inspiration behind the collection, which utilized the motif of a nebula seen from the Hubble telescope, as “the idea of explosive outwards expansion,” Vogue reported back then.

From Los Angeles Times

Looking like a glittering cosmic geode, a trio of dazzling stars blaze from the hollowed-out cavity of a reflection nebula in this new image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

From Science Daily

I was rocketing through space, flying past exploding nebulas.

From Literature

These observations show the top of the "horse's mane" or edge of this iconic nebula in a whole new light, capturing the region's complexity with unprecedented spatial resolution.

From Science Daily