reflection nebula

noun

Astronomy.

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

reflection nebula

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of reflection nebula¹

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.

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Image: The two young, low-mass proto-stars HR 5999 and HR 6000 illuminate nearby dust, creating the reflection nebula Bernes 149.

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

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

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

Read more on Time