dark nebula

American  

noun

Astronomy.

1. 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.

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dark nebula British  

noun

1. a type of nebula that is observed by its blocking of radiation from other sources See nebula

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dark nebula Scientific  

1. See absorption nebula

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Etymology

Origin of dark nebula

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dark nebula

"It is very difficult to capture dark nebula with any kind of clarity," explained Dr Ed Bloomer.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2022

Barnard 68 is an example of a relatively dense cloud or dark nebula containing tiny, solid dust grains.

From Textbooks ● Oct. 13, 2016

Upon the whole, the theory of an encounter between a star and a dark nebula seems best to fit the observations.

From Curiosities of the Sky by Serviss, Garrett Putman

It was suggested at the time that the bursting of a star may merely have lit up a previously dark nebula, but the spectroscope does not support this.

From The Story of Evolution by McCabe, Joseph

Stated in a general form, the idea is that a huge dark body, perhaps an extinguished sun, encountered in its progress through space a widespread flock of small meteors forming a dark nebula.

From Curiosities of the Sky by Serviss, Garrett Putman