http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/nebulae/ Nebula News. Double helix nebula, cosmic spider, tarantula nebula and more. Fantastic images and full text science articles. Free. en-us Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:05:01 EST Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/nebulae/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116131826.htm A new high-resolution time-lapse movie reveals the process of massive star formation with radio images a thousand times sharper and more detailed than any previously obtained. The movie shows that massive stars form like their smaller siblings, with disk accretion and magnetic fields playing crucial roles. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116131826.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106195056.htm The spectacular new camera installed on NASA's Hubble Space Telescope during Servicing Mission 4 in May has delivered the most detailed view of star birth in the graceful, curving arms of the nearby spiral galaxy M83. Nicknamed the Southern Pinwheel, M83 is undergoing more rapid star formation than our own Milky Way galaxy, especially in its nucleus. Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106195056.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029102425.htm The combination of images taken by three exceptional telescopes, the ESO Very Large Telescope on Cerro Paranal, the MPG/ESO 2.2-m telescope at ESO's La Silla observatory and the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, has allowed the stunning Jewel Box star cluster to be seen in a whole new light. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029102425.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091014102018.htm A stunning new image reveals one of our nearest galactic neighbors, Barnard's Galaxy, also known as NGC 6822. The galaxy contains regions of rich star formation and curious nebulae, such as the bubble clearly visible in the upper left of this remarkable vista. The strange shapes of these cosmic misfits help researchers understand how galaxies interact, evolve and occasionally "cannibalize" each other, leaving behind radiant, star-filled scraps. Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091014102018.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091002093805.htm The H.E.S.S. telescope system detects high-energy rays from the starburst region of a galactic system outside the Milky Way. Sun, 04 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091002093805.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928095339.htm The third image of ESO's GigaGalaxy Zoom project has just been released online. The latest image follows on from views, released over the last two weeks, of the sky as seen with the unaided eye and through an amateur telescope. This third installment provides another breathtaking vista of an astronomical object, this time a 370-million-pixel view of the Lagoon Nebula of the quality and depth needed by professional astronomers in their quest to understand our Universe. Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928095339.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090909122146.htm The simple picture of star formation calls for giant clouds of gas and dust to collapse inward due to gravity, growing denser and hotter until igniting nuclear fusion. In reality, forces other than gravity also influence the birth of stars. New research shows that cosmic magnetic fields play a more important role in star formation than previously thought. Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090909122146.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090828104137.htm The dust-filled disks where new planets may be forming around other stars occasionally take on some difficult-to-understand shapes. Now astronomers find that a star's motion through interstellar gas can account for many of them. Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090828104137.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090826073442.htm A new image of the Trifid Nebula, shows just why it is a firm favorite of astronomers, amateur and professional alike. This massive star factory is so named for the dark dust bands that trisect its glowing heart, and is a rare combination of three nebula types, revealing the fury of freshly formed stars and presaging more star birth. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090826073442.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090819110018.htm New images delve into the heart of a cosmic cloud, called RCW 38, crowded with budding stars and planetary systems. There, young, titanic stars bombard fledgling suns and planets with powerful winds and blazing light, helped in their devastating task by short-lived, massive stars that explode as supernovae. In some cases, this energetic onslaught cooks away the matter that may eventually form new solar systems. Scientists think that our own solar system emerged from such a dramatic environment. Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090819110018.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090805164917.htm NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has taken its first shots of the cosmos since warming up and starting its second career. The infrared telescope ran out of coolant on May 15, 2009, more than five-and-half-years after launch, and has since warmed to a still-frosty 30 Kelvin (about minus 406 Fahrenheit). New images demonstrate that the observatory remains a powerful tool for probing the dusty universe. Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090805164917.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090811143954.htm Astronomers recently observed a mysterious flux of particles in the universe, and the hope was born that this may be the first observation of the remnants of dark matter. But scientists in Sweden have shown that there is another explanation of the flux. Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090811143954.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090814101833.htm A team of astronomers has discovered a new class of object which they call "Super Planetary Nebulae." The new objects are unusually strong radio sources. Whereas the existing population of planetary nebulae is found around small stars comparable in size to our Sun, the new population may be the long predicted class of similar shells around heavier stars. Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090814101833.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090805095646.htm ESO has just released a stunning new image of a field of stars towards the constellation of Carina (the Keel). This striking view is ablaze with a flurry of stars of all colors and brightnesses, some of which are seen against a backdrop of clouds of dust and gas. One unusual star in the middle, HD 87643, has been extensively studied with several ESO telescopes, including the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). Surrounded by a complex, extended nebula that is the result of previous violent ejections, the star has been shown to have a companion. Interactions in this double system, surrounded by a dusty disc, may be the engine fueling the star's remarkable nebula. Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090805095646.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090716093520.htm A new and stunning image of the sky around the Eagle Nebula, a stellar nursery where infant star clusters carve out monster columns of dust and gas has been released. Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090716093520.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090710101450.htm Herschel has carried out the first test observations with all its instruments, with spectacular results. Galaxies, star-forming regions and dying stars comprised the telescope's first targets. The instruments provided spectacular data at their first attempt, finding water, carbon and revealing dozens of distant galaxies. Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090710101450.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090707094909.htm The Omega Nebula, a stellar nursery where infant stars illuminate and sculpt a vast pastel fantasy of dust and gas, is revealed in all its glory. Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090707094909.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090705231958.htm The Helix Nebula, NGC 7293, is not only one of the most interesting and beautiful planetary nebulae; it is also one of the closest nebulae to Earth, at a distance of only 710 light years away. A new image, taken with an infrared camera on the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii, shows tens of thousands of previously unseen comet-shaped knots inside the nebula. The sheer number of knots -- more than have ever been seen before -- looks like a massive fireworks display in space. Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090705231958.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090618124948.htm NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) spacecraft has made the first observations of very fast hydrogen atoms coming from the moon, following decades of speculation and searching for their existence. Sun, 05 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090618124948.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090701103008.htm Astronomers have found a binary star-disk system in which each star is surrounded by the kind of dust disk that is frequently the precursor of a planetary system. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090701103008.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090615171722.htm The interstellar stuff that became incorporated into the planets and life on Earth has younger cosmic roots than theories predict, according to researchers. Tue, 16 Jun 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090615171722.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090609130800.htm A new image from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory shows a supernova remnant with a different look. This object, known as SNR 0104-72.3 (SNR 0104 for short), is in the Small Magellanic Cloud, a small neighboring galaxy to the Milky Way. Astronomers think that SNR 0104 is the remains of a so-called Type Ia supernova caused by the thermonuclear explosion of a white dwarf. Sun, 14 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090609130800.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090609111233.htm Astronomers have predicted that the dark nebula Barnard 68 will become a shining star in 200,000 years' time. According to the scientists, this nebula is already close to colliding with another, smaller one, in a process that will end with the birth of a star. Wed, 10 Jun 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090609111233.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090520114716.htm Using ESO's Very Large Telescope, astronomers have succeeded in measuring the size of giant galaxy Messier 87 and were surprised to find that its outer parts have been stripped away by still unknown effects. The galaxy also appears to be on a collision course with another giant galaxy in this very dynamic cluster. Sun, 24 May 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090520114716.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090511213718.htm The Hubble community bids farewell to the soon-to-be decommissioned Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) onboard the Hubble Space Telescope. In tribute to Hubble's longest-running optical camera, a planetary nebula has been imaged as WFPC2's final "pretty picture." Wed, 13 May 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090511213718.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090422191747.htm Research by astronomers suggests that shadows hold the key to how giant star-forming structures like the famous "Pillars of Creation" take shape. Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090422191747.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090422085839.htm Using the NASA Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) satellite, a team of astronomers have discovered an object predicted, but never seen before – a ‘jet trail’ nebula. The nebula represents a completely new class of object. Thu, 23 Apr 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090422085839.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090421080504.htm Scientists have found some of the most primitive matter containing abundant interstellar material analyzed to date amongst dust particles collected from the upper atmosphere by NASA aircraft. The samples were gathered in April 2003 during the Earth's passage through the dust stream left behind by comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup. Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090421080504.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090419211034.htm Astronomers have completed the most wide-ranging census ever produced of dynamical star formation in and around the well-known Great Nebula of Orion. They have found this stellar nursery to be a lively and somewhat overcrowded place, with young stars emitting gas jets in all directions, creating quite a chaotic picture and demonstrating there is much more going on in Orion than previously thought. Mon, 20 Apr 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090419211034.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090402104724.htm Astronomers have captured the sharpest image of the young binary star Theta1 Orionis C in the Orion Trapezium cluster. In the new image, obtained using the ESO/VLT interferometer, one clearly distinguishes the two young, massive stars of the system. This binary system is the most massive star in the nearest region where high-mass stars are forming. Sun, 12 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090402104724.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090405185033.htm To celebrate the 100 Hours of Astronomy, ESO is sharing two stunning images of unusual galaxies, both belonging to the Sculptor group of galaxies. The images, obtained at two of ESO’s observatories at La Silla and Paranal in Chile, illustrate the beauty of astronomy. Sun, 05 Apr 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090405185033.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090326152507.htm Both a Spanish and a French astrophysicist have identified a band in the infrared range that serves to track the presence of organic material rich in oxygen and nitrogen in the interstellar dust grains. Should any telescope detect this band, the presence in space of aminoacids and other substances, which are the precursors to life, could be confirmed. Sat, 28 Mar 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090326152507.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090316143831.htm Stars rich in carbon complex molecules may form at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. This discovery is significant because it adds to our knowledge of how stars form heavy elements -- like oxygen, carbon and iron -- and then blow them out across the universe, making it possible for life to develop. Tue, 17 Mar 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090316143831.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090225073359.htm A deep new image of the magnificent Helix planetary nebula has been obtained using the Wide Field Imager at ESO's La Silla Observatory. The image shows a rich background of distant galaxies, usually not seen in other images of this object. Wed, 04 Mar 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090225073359.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090224133503.htm Astronomers have found some very unusual stardust. They discovered new evidence for the production of copious quantities of dust in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant, the remains of a star that exploded about 300 years ago. Wed, 25 Feb 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090224133503.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090223221608.htm When it comes to the theory of how massive stars form, the devil is in the details. We know the basics: a cloud of cosmic gas draws itself together, growing denser and hotter until nuclear fusion ignites. But how does massive star formation begin? What determines how many stars form from a single cloud? New data from the Submillimeter Array is helping to answer these questions. Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090223221608.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090218103517.htm A team of French astronomers has captured one of the sharpest color images ever made. They observed the star T Leporis, which appears, on the sky, as small as a two-storey house on the moon. The image was taken with ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), emulating a virtual telescope about 100 m across and reveals a spherical molecular shell around an aged star. Thu, 19 Feb 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090218103517.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212093858.htm Astronomers have captured amazing detail in the intricate structures of one of the largest and brightest nebulae in the sky, the Carina Nebula (NGC 3372), where strong winds and powerful radiation from an armada of massive stars are creating havoc in the large cloud of dust and gas from which the stars were born. Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212093858.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090205180711.htm Space dust annoys astronomers just as much as the household variety when it interferes with their observations of distant stars. And yet space dust also poses one of the great mysteries of astronomy. Fri, 06 Feb 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090205180711.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090115175523.htm The unique planetary nebula NGC 2818 is nested inside the open star cluster NGC 2818A. Both the cluster and the nebula reside over 10,000 light-years away, in the southern constellation Pyxis (the Compass). NGC 2818 is one of very few planetary nebulae in our galaxy located within an open cluster. Open clusters, in general, are loosely bound and they disperse over hundreds of millions of years. Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090115175523.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090105120322.htm Life on a planet ruled by two suns might be a little complicated. Two sunrises, two sunsets. Twice the radiation field. Astronomers suggest that planets may easily form around certain types of twin star systems. A disk of molecules discovered orbiting a pair of twin young suns in the constellation Sagittarius strongly suggests that many such binary systems also host planets. Fri, 09 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090105120322.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090107174617.htm Even some stars go ballistic, racing through interstellar space like bullets and tearing through clouds of gas. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090107174617.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081216114435.htm NGC 2264 lies about 2600 light-years from Earth in the obscure constellation of Monoceros, the Unicorn, not far from the more familiar figure of Orion, the Hunter. The image shows a region of space about 30 light-years across. Thu, 25 Dec 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081216114435.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081211141844.htm A new Chandra X-ray Observatory image of the Tarantula Nebula gives scientists a close-up view of the drama of star formation and evolution. The Tarantula, also known as 30 Doradus, is in one of the most active star-forming regions in a galaxy close to the Milky Way. Massive stars in 30 Doradus are producing intense radiation and searing winds of multimillion-degree gas that carve out gigantic super-bubbles in the surrounding gas. Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081211141844.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081209085703.htm A new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows a turbulent star-forming region, where rivers of gas and stellar winds are eroding thickets of dusty material. Wed, 10 Dec 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081209085703.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081125090510.htm The Hubble telescope has captured a spectacular image of a pair of colossal stars, WR 25 and Tr16-244, located within the open cluster Trumpler 16. This cluster is embedded within the Carina Nebula, an immense cauldron of gas and dust that lies approximately 7500 light-years from Earth. Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081125090510.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081119084533.htm The explosion of a binary star inside a planetary nebula has been captured -- an event that has not been witnessed for more than 100 years. The study predicts that the combined mass of the two stars in the system may be high enough for the stars to eventually spiral into each other, triggering a much bigger supernova explosion. Tue, 25 Nov 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081119084533.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081117091627.htm Scientists are tracking the violent convulsions in the giant cloud of gas and dust that gave birth to the solar system 4.5 billion years ago via a few tiny particles from comet Wild 2. Wed, 19 Nov 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081117091627.htm