Nebula Classifications
Created by Captain Alistar McKeon on Sun Jul 24th, 2016 @ 10:14pm
Nebula Classifications
| Nebula Class A • Emission Nebula | ||
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Composition: | Hydrogen, helium, oxygen |
| Average Size: | 100 - 5,000 ly | |
| Average Temp.: | 10 - 20 K | |
| Lifespan: | 1 - 2 million years | |
| Color: | Red, green, blue | |
| Details: | Emission nebulas are large clouds of ionized plasma where star formation usually takes place. They are illuminated from within by groups of young stars that form in H II Regions within the nebula. | |
| Nebula Class B • H II Region | ||
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Composition: | Hydrogen, helium |
| Average Size: | 20 - 2,000 ly | |
| Average Temp.: | 10,000 K | |
| Lifespan: | 1 - 2 million years | |
| Color: | Red, pink | |
| Details: | An H II region is a large stellar nursery, typically located inside an emission nebula. Over the duration of its lifespan, an H II region can give birth to thousands of stars. Gravimetric forces by the larger stars will eventually disperse the nebula and leave behind a star cluster similar to the Pleiades. | |
| Nebula Class C • Bok Globule | ||
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Composition: | Hydrogen, helium, carbon |
| Average Size: | 1 ly | |
| Average Temp.: | 3 K | |
| Lifespan: | 1 - 2 million years | |
| Color: | Black | |
| Details: | While an H II region can span light years and contain dozens of stars in varying states of development, Bok Globules are dense clusters of dust and gas where star formation actually takes place. They commonly result in binary and trinary star systems. | |
| Nebula Class D • Reflection Nebula | ||
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Composition: | Hydrogen, carbon, iron, nickel |
| Average Size: | 100 ly | |
| Average Temp.: | 25,000 K | |
| Lifespan: | 10 million - 10 billion years | |
| Color: | Blue, purple | |
| Details: | Reflection nebulas are large clouds of dust that reflect light from nearby stars. The nearby stars are not usually hot enough to cause ionization, but are bright enough to make the dust visible. Star formation can occur within a reflection nebula. | |
| Nebula Class E • Planetary Nebula | ||
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Composition: | Carbon,oxygen,nitrogen,calcium |
| Average Size: | 1 ly | |
| Average Temp.: | 10,000 K | |
| Lifespan: | 10,000 years | |
| Color: | Orange, green, blue | |
| Details: | Despite the name, planetary nebulas have nothing to do with planets. They are, in fact, the final stage of life for most stars, developing when a star is no longer able to sustain nuclear fusion. As the star’s core contracts, it ejects ionized gases into space, creating a planetary nebula. This plays a crucial role in the evolution of the galaxy, for the process returns material to the interstellar medium. | |
| Nebula Class F • Dark Nebula | ||
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Composition: | Hydrogen |
| Average Size: | 200 ly | |
| Average Temp.: | 7 K | |
| Lifespan: | 1 - 2 million years | |
| Color: | Black | |
| Details: | Dark nebulas are a type of large molecular cloud. The cloud cores are completely invisible to the naked eye, and are be undetectable aside from microwave emissions from the molecules within. Dark nebulas have strong magnetic fields that create considerable gravimetric forces in and around the nebula. Stars and astrophysical masers can form deep inside dark nebulas. | |
| Nebula Class G • Supernova Remnant | ||
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Composition: | Ionized hydrogen, oxygen |
| Average Size: | 3 ly | |
| Average Temp.: | 10,000,000 K | |
| Lifespan: | 1,000,000 years | |
| Color: | Varies; typically orange, blue | |
| Details: | When a massive star reaches the end of its life, it explodes in an immensely powerful supernova. This event blows the entire star apart, leaving in its wake a remnant nebula that expands into the interstellar medium. | |
| Nebula Class H • Nova Remnant | ||
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Composition: | Ionized hydrogen, oxygen |
| Average Size: | 0.5 ly | |
| Average Temp.: | 5,000 K | |
| Lifespan: | 300 years | |
| Color: | Varies; typically blue, orange | |
| Details: | Nova remnants are similar to supernova remnants, only much smaller on all levels. They are also much more common. | |
| Nebula Class I • Solar Nebula | ||
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Composition: | Hydrogen, helium, oxygen |
| Average Size: | 100 AU | |
| Average Temp.: | 150 K | |
| Lifespan: | 2,000,000 years | |
| Color: | Yellow, orange | |
| Details: | While most stars form within emission nebulas, there are exceptions to the rule. When a young star forms elsewhere, gravimetric forces gradually attract a disk of dust and gas that flatten to form a new star system that includes planets and asteroids. | |
| Nebula Class J • Wolf-Rayet Nebula | ||
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Composition: | Helium, carbon, oxygen |
| Average Size: | 0.5 ly | |
| Average Temp.: | 25,000 - 50,000 K | |
| Lifespan: | 1 - 2 million years | |
| Color: | Blue | |
| Details: | A Wolf-Rayet nebula forms when strong stellar winds cause a Class O star to rapidly lose its mass. The dispersed mass forms a nebulous halo around the star. | |
| Nebula Class K • Inversion Nebula | ||
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Composition: | Ionized plasma strings |
| Average Size: | 200 AU | |
| Average Temp.: | 10,000 K | |
| Lifespan: | 5 - 10 years | |
| Color: | Pink | |
| Details: | Inversion nebulas are rare, highly unstable nebulas created by plasma strings. They typically burn out after a few years. | |
Additional Subtype Classifications
Type 1 • Protomatter
A nebula that contains amounts of protomatter.
Type 2 • Disruptive
A nebula that contains disruptive electromagnetic radiation.
Type 9 • Shadow
An ultra-dense nebula with constituent compounds that create sensor shadows. Prolonged exposure is detrimental to humanoid nervous systems.
Type 10 • Deuterium
A nebula that contains deuterium.
Type 11 • Argon
A nebula that contains argon. Thetazenon, fluorine, and sirillium can also be present.
Type 13 • Mutara
A nebula that contains high levels of static discharge and ionized gases; renders shields and sensors inoperable.
Type 16 • Protostellar
A nebula still in its formative stages. Has high levels of particle flux.
Type 17 • Sirillium
A nebula that contains amounts of sirillium.
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