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nebula
[ neb-yuh-luh ]
noun
- Astronomy.
- Also called diffuse nebula. a cloud of interstellar gas and dust. Compare dark nebula, emission nebula, reflection nebula.
- (formerly) any celestial object that appears nebulous, hazy, or fuzzy, and extended in a telescope view.
- Pathology.
- a faint opacity in the cornea.
- cloudiness in the urine.
- any liquid medication prepared for use as a spray.
nebula
/ ˈnɛbjʊlə /
noun
- See planetary nebulaastronomy 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
- pathol
- opacity of the cornea
- cloudiness of the urine
- any substance for use in an atomizer spray
nebula
/ nĕb′yə-lə /
, Plural nebulae nĕb′yə-lē′
- 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.
- ◆ 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 .
- See more at star
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Derived Forms
- ˈnebular, adjective
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Other Words From
- nebu·lar adjective
- non·nebu·lar adjective
- pre·nebu·lar adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of nebula1
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Word History and Origins
Origin of nebula1
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Example Sentences
Following Anna Deavere Smith is like following a swiftly moving nebula.
And yet there are millions of stars whose distances are even greater than the distance of the Great Nebula in Orion.
The fainter parts of the nebula would be shown more satisfactorily by a longer exposure.
Then his vision cleared and he knew where he was—in the surgery room of the Nebula.
And, if we don't get too bored, we might run over to the giant model nebula in Andromeda, or one of the others.
One of the most exquisite of these modern photographs is that of the Trifid nebula in Sagittarius (Fig. 142).
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