dark nebula

noun Astronomy.

a cloud of interstellar gas and dust that absorbs and thus obscures the light from stars behind it, appearing as a dark patch in front of a bright nebula or in an otherwise bright area of sky.

QUIZZES

Fend Off Sciolism With This Word Of The Day Quiz

Are you the Cinderella of this week’s quiz? Test your memory on the words and definitions from March 23–29.

Question 1 of 7

schlep

to say or do hesitantly or awkwardly

to fold or wind around something

to carry; lug

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also called absorption nebula.

Origin of dark nebula

First recorded in 1930–35

Words nearby dark nebula

dark lantern, dark matter, dark meat, dark mineral, dark money, dark nebula, dark of the moon, dark reaction, dark slide, dark star, dark tourism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for absorption nebula

dark nebula

noun

a type of nebula that is observed by its blocking of radiation from other sourcesSee nebula

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for absorption nebula

dark nebula

See absorption nebula.