reflection nebula

American  

noun

Astronomy.

1. a cloud of interstellar gas and dust that reflects the light of neighboring stars.

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reflection nebula Scientific  

1. A nebula that reflects the light of a nearby star or stars toward Earth rather than producing its own.

2. See more at nebula

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Etymology

Origin of reflection nebula

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

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 • May 15, 2024

The image is that of a reflection nebula, nicknamed Toby Jug Nebula, resembling the shape of an old style English jug.

From Space Scoop • Aug. 3, 2023

The energy from the two baby blue stars created a dazzling blue reflection nebula known as Bernes 149.

From Space Scoop • Jun. 19, 2023

Lying in the constellation of Orion, at a distance of 1467 light years from our planet is the emission and reflection nebula NGC 2023.

From Time • Jul. 28, 2017

The presence of dust is apparent in many photographs of emission nebulae in the constellation of Sagittarius, where we see an H II region surrounded by a blue reflection nebula.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016