When a star like our Sun dies, it doesn't explode into a supernova or collapse into a black hole. Instead, it gently sheds its outer layers, which form a beautiful cloud called a “planetary nebula”, while the dying star's core becomes a white dwarf.
What is a planetary nebula and how does it form quizlet?
A planetary nebula is formed when a red giant ejects its outer atmosphere. The beautiful images show that a planetary nebula is a stage in the evolution of a low mass star. They last tens of thousands of years. A white dwarf is the carbon core of a red giant that has ejected its photosphere as a planetary nebula.
What is a planetary nebula simple definition?
Definition of planetary nebula : a usually compact luminous ring-shaped nebula that is composed of matter which has been ejected from a hot star at its center.
How do you explain a planetary nebula to a child?
A planetary nebula is a nebula that is made up of gas and plasma. They are made by certain types of stars when they die. They are named this because they look like planets through small optical telescopes. They do not last for very long compared to a star, only tens of thousands of years.
What happens planetary nebula?
Over time, the material from the planetary nebula is scattered into space. Eventually it will form part of the clouds of dust and gas where new stars form. Planetary nebula last just a few tens of thousands of years.
What is a planetary nebula quizlet?
A planetary nebula is the ejected shell of an evolved giant star. It is the shape of a spherical shell and is composed of relatively cool thing gas, which was once the outer part of the star. A planetary nebula is associated with the death of a low mass star. You just studied 15 terms!
How can a planetary nebula be identified?
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian scientists study planetary nebulas in several different ways: Identifying the atoms and molecules within planetary nebulas, mostly through the infrared light they emit and absorb. Infrared light can pierce through clouds of gas and dust, which are opaque to visible light.
How are reflection nebulae formed?
A reflection nebula is created when light from a star is scattered or reflected off a neighbouring dust cloud. The scattered light is slightly polarised and has a spectrum similar to that of the illuminating star, only bluer.
How is a planetary nebula different from a nebula?
The nebula is illuminated by a central star, which sometimes is too faint to be seen. Although initially grouped with galaxies and star clusters under the class of “nebulae”, we now know that galaxies and star clusters are made up of stars, whereas planetary nebulae are gaseous.
What type of star Will our Sun turn into?
When it starts to die, the Sun will expand into a red giant star, becoming so large that it will engulf Mercury and Venus, and possibly Earth as well. Scientists predict the Sun is a little less than halfway through its lifetime and will last another 5 billion years or so before it becomes a white dwarf.