NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Captures Cosmic Cloud from Emission Nebula

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a spectacular view of an emission nebula, a fan of dust and gas illuminated by a star. NGC 2313, also known as LDN 1653, is a nebula in the constellation Monoceros that is 3,750 light-years distant. Hubble used its Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) instrument to capture the snap, which looks in both visible and near-infrared wavelengths.

Here's What Emission Nebulae Means, According To Astronomers

Astronomy.com said emission nebulae are ionized gas clouds that shine due to the light of stars within them. Radiation from the stars ionizes the gas and causes it to shimmer. The light star V565, which you can see in the image's center, highlights the nebula and gives it its distinctive look.

NASA also explained that nebulae are "enormous clouds of dust and gas that fill the space between the stars." They can form in a variety of ways, such as the remnants of exploded stars.

How The Cloud Looks Like

You can also see four diffraction spikes around the star caused by a phenomenon known as the starburst effect. Because of the way telescopes capture light, bright points of light - including stars - tend to have spikes of light streaming out of them. However, a large cloud of dust obscured the right side of this photograph, preventing light from reaching the Hubble Space Telescope.

This kind of nebula was once known as a "cometary nebula." That's because the star's outline surrounds a fan of gas resembled that of a comet and the tail of dust and gas apparent when a comet passes the sun. However, since these nebulae have little to do with comets, the term is no longer used because it is misleading and incorrect.

Astronomers Say People Will See More Space Phenomena Soon

Hubble scientists said the language that the astronomers use changes as they get more acquainted with the universe. "Astronomical history is littered with now-obsolete phrases to describe objects in the night sky, such as 'spiral nebulae' for spiral galaxies or 'inferior planets' for Mercury and Venus," scientists wrote in ESA's blog.

People will almost certainly be exposed to a plethora of more glowing space phenomena in incredible depth in the coming decades and beyond. That's because, in October 2021, NASA and its space partners intend to launch a massive next-generation telescope. Science Times previously reported that the James Webb Space Telescope is the most powerful space telescope ever created, and it's called the James Webb Space Telescope.

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