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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

The colorful cloud in the image—somewhat misleadingly called a planetary nebula—is only a few thousand years old. —Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2023

Abell 31 is a planetary nebula, a cloud of gas formed when a dying star expels winds of matter. —Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 13 Feb. 2012

For decades, astronomers have sought the lightest noble gas molecule, helium hydride, in the planetary nebula NGC 7027, shown in this composite image. —Ken Croswell, Discover Magazine, 12 Dec. 2019

This expanding cloud of gas, called a planetary nebula, is the result of a dying star that is blowing off its outer layers. —Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 11 July 2022

Located 5,000 light years away from Earth in the constellation Centaurus, the Boomerang Nebula is a relatively young planetary nebula, according to NASA. —Mythili Devarakonda, USA TODAY, 23 Nov. 2022

Instead, a planetary nebula is formed when an older, massive star blasts off some of its outer layers, forming a ring of expanding gas. —John Timmer, Ars Technica, 8 July 2022

The leftovers of a star that went supernova are called planetary nebula. —Jamie Carter, Forbes, 23 July 2022

Famous examples of planetary nebula include: Ring Nebula (M57) in the constellation of Lyra. —Jamie Carter, Forbes, 23 July 2022

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Word History

First Known Use

1785, in the meaning defined above