planetary nebula
noun
: a usually compact luminous ring-shaped nebula that is composed of matter which has been ejected from a hot star at its center
Examples of planetary nebula in a Sentence
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The Butterfly Nebula, also known as NGC 6302 and located about 3,400 light-years away in the constellation of Scorpius the Scorpion, is a planetary nebula — the celestial death blossom of a sun-like star that has run out of hydrogen in its core for nuclear fusion and has therefore expired.
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Keith Cooper, Space.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The team noted that this find may be the first concrete evidence of PAHs forming inside a planetary nebula, and could help explain where such molecules originate in space.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2025
Spotted by Charles Messier in 1764, its the first planetary nebula discovered.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 8 Aug. 2025
All month – The Dumbbell Nebula (M27) – One of the easiest planetary nebulas to observe, M27 appears within the Summer Triangle star pattern, high overhead in the first half of the night.
—John Tufts, IndyStar, 6 Aug. 2025
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Keith Cooper, Space.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The team noted that this find may be the first concrete evidence of PAHs forming inside a planetary nebula, and could help explain where such molecules originate in space.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2025
Spotted by Charles Messier in 1764, its the first planetary nebula discovered.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 8 Aug. 2025
All month – The Dumbbell Nebula (M27) – One of the easiest planetary nebulas to observe, M27 appears within the Summer Triangle star pattern, high overhead in the first half of the night.
—John Tufts, IndyStar, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for planetary nebula
Cite this Entry
“Planetary nebula.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/planetary%20nebula. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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