Nebulas

The cluster type is described as an open cluster, and the Trumpler classification of I,2,r indicates that it is a detached cluster with strong central concentration, moderate range in brightness, and richly populated with 100 or more confirmed members.

Crab Nebula

Astrophoto exposure time: about 155 minutes.

AstroLLM Assistant generated caption below.

AstroLLM Assistant generated:

* Distance from Earth in light-years: 6,500

* Size or Diameter in light-years: 11

* Constellation: Taurus

* NGC number: 1952

* Formation: The Crab Nebula is the remnant of a supernova explosion that occurred in 1054. It is believed to have been caused by the explosion of a massive star.

* Nebula type: Pulsar wind nebula

Crescent Nebula

Astrophoto exposure time: about 70 minutes.

AstroLLM Assistant generated caption below.

AstroLLM Assistant generated:

* Distance from Earth in light-years: 4,700

* Size or Diameter in light-years: 24

* NGC number: 6888

* Constellation: Cygnus

* Formation: The Crescent Nebula was formed by the fast stellar wind from the Wolf-Rayet star WR 136 (HD 192163) colliding with and energizing the slower moving wind ejected by the star when it became a red giant around 250,000 to 400,000 years ago.

* Nebula type: Emission nebula

Dumbbell Nebula

Astrophoto exposure time: about 30 minutes.

AstroLLM Assistant generated caption below.

AstroLLM Assistant generated:

"Distance from Earth in light-years": 1360

"Size or Diameter in light-years": 1.01

"Constellation": Vulpecula

"NGC number": 6853

"Formation": The Dumbbell Nebula is a planetary nebula, which is formed when a star similar to the Sun reaches the end of its life and expels its outer layers into space.

"Nebula type": Planetary nebula, which is a type of emission nebula.

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Check information on "Reasons behind Nebula Colors" above.

Eagle Nebula

Astrophoto exposure time: about 70 minutes.

AstroLLM Assistant generated caption below.

AstroLLM Assistant generated:

Distance from Earth in light-years: 7,000

Size or Diameter in light-years: 70

Constellation: Serpens

NGC number: 6611

Formation: The Eagle Nebula is a young open cluster of stars, and its formation is not explicitly mentioned in the provided context.

Nebula type: Emission Nebula

East Veil Nebula

Astrophoto exposure time: about 105 minutes.

AstroLLM Assistant generated caption below.

AstroLLM Assistant generated:

"Distance from Earth in light-years": 2400

"Size or Diameter in light-years": 65

"Constellation": Cygnus

"NGC number": NGC 6992

"Formation": Supernova remnant

"Nebula type": Emission

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Check information on "Reasons behind Nebula Colors" above.

West Veil Nebula

Astrophoto exposure time: about 50 minutes. Turned out to be a difficult one to take.

AstroLLM Assistant generated caption below.

AstroLLM Assistant generated:

Distance from Earth in light-years: 2400

Size or Diameter in light-years: 65

Constellation: Cygnus

NGC number: NGC 6960

Formation: Supernova remnant

Nebula type: Emission

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Notice a bright star (which is 52 Cygni) in the middle, which though is pretty far away from the nebula (see the Astro-Graph).

Helix Nebula

Astrophoto exposure time: about 15 minutes (need to retake with longer exposure).

AstroLLM Assistant generated caption below.

AstroLLM Assistant generated:

"Distance from Earth in light-years": 655

"Size or Diameter in light-years": 2.5

"Constellation": Aquarius

"NGC number": 7293

"Formation": The Helix Nebula is an example of a planetary nebula, formed by an intermediate to low-mass star, which sheds its outer layers near the end of its evolution.

"Nebula type": Planetary Nebula

Horsehead and Flame Nebula

Astrophoto exposure time: about 100 minutes.

AstroLLM Assistant generated caption below.

AstroLLM Assistant generated:

Distance from Earth in light-years: 1,375

Size or Diameter in light-years: 422

NGC number: Not applicable (Horsehead Nebula is not an NGC object)

Constellation: Orion

Formation: The Horsehead Nebula is a dark nebula that is part of the Orion molecular cloud complex, where star formation is taking place. It is thought to have formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud.

Nebula type: Dark nebula

Iris Nebula

Astrophoto exposure time: about 70 minutes.

AstroLLM Assistant generated caption below.

AstroLLM Assistant generated:

"Distance from Earth in light-years": 1,400

"Size or Diameter in light-years": 6

"Constellation": Cepheus

"NGC number": 7023

"Formation": Not specified in the context

"Nebula type": Reflection Nebula

Little Dumbbell or Barbell Nebula

Astrophoto exposure time: about 60 minutes.

AstroLLM Assistant generated caption below.

AstroLLM Assistant generated:

"Distance from Earth in light-years": 2,500

"Size or Diameter in light-years": 1.23

"Constellation": Perseus

"NGC number": 650/651

"Formation": A planetary nebula formed when a Sun-like star ran out of fuel in a late stage of its life and then expelled its outer layers.

"Nebula type": Bipolar planetary nebula (BPNe)

Orion Nebula

Astrophoto exposure time: about 75 minutes.

AstroLLM Assistant generated caption below.

AstroLLM Assistant generated:

* Distance from Earth in light-years: 1,344

* Size or Diameter in light-years: 24

* NGC number: 1976

* Constellation: Orion

* Formation: The Orion Nebula is a stellar nursery where new stars are being born. It is an example of a giant H II region, a type of nebula that is ionized by the radiation from hot stars. The nebula is thought to have formed about 2 million years ago when a giant molecular cloud collapsed under its own gravity.

* Nebula type: H II region

* Orion Belt Stars: The Orion Belt stars are three bright stars in the constellation Orion that form the "belt" of the hunter. They are Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. They are relatively close to Earth, with distances of:

+ Alnitak: 1,300 light-years

+ Alnilam: 1,600 light-years

+ Mintaka: 1,200 light-years

* Orion Nebula Colors: The Orion Nebula has a distinctive greenish tint, which is caused by the presence of doubly ionized oxygen. The blue-violet coloration is caused by the reflection of light from the massive O-type stars at the center of the nebula. The red coloration is caused by the presence of hydrogen gas.

Top part of the photo captured the reflection nebula Running Man Nebula.

Pacman Nebula

Astrophoto exposure time: about 60 minutes.

AstroLLM Assistant generated caption below.

AstroLLM Assistant generated:

"Distance from Earth in light-years": 9,200

"Size or Diameter in light-years": 48

"Constellation": Cassiopeia

"NGC number": 281

"Formation": The Pacman Nebula is a star-forming region that contains young stars, large dark dust lanes, and Bok globules. It is believed to be formed by the collapse of a giant molecular cloud.

"Nebula type": Emission

AstroLLM Generated General Nebula Information

Brief general summaries of nebula characteristics and related space object/element information that might be referred to in individual AstroLLM generated responses.

AstroLLM generated (edited the keys only to make them bold):

"Reasons behind Nebula Colors": "Nebulae, or interstellar clouds of gas and dust, display a wide range of colors due to the presence of different elements and the temperature of the gas. The colors are primarily caused by the emission and absorption of light by atoms and ions of various elements, such as hydrogen, helium, and heavier elements. The most common colors seen in nebulae are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet, which correspond to the wavelengths of light emitted or absorbed by these elements."

"Emission nebula": "An emission nebula is a type of nebula that emits light due to the ionization of gas by nearby stars. This ionization causes the gas to emit light at specific wavelengths, resulting in a bright, colorful appearance. Emission nebulae are often associated with H II regions, which are vast clouds of ionized gas surrounding hot, massive stars.",

"Reflection nebula": "A reflection nebula is a type of nebula that reflects the light of nearby stars rather than emitting its own light. These nebulae are typically composed of dust and gas, which scatter the light from nearby stars, giving them a faint, diffuse appearance. Reflection nebulae are often seen in the vicinity of young stars, which are still surrounded by the remnants of their birth clouds.",

"H II region": "An H II region is a vast cloud of ionized gas surrounding a hot, massive star. These regions are formed when the intense radiation and strong winds from the star ionize the surrounding gas, causing it to emit light at specific wavelengths. H II regions are often associated with emission nebulae and are an important stage in the life cycle of stars, as they provide a source of heavy elements for the formation of subsequent generations of stars.",

"O star": "An O star is a type of massive, luminous star that is characterized by its extremely high surface temperature, typically above 30,000 Kelvin. O stars are among the most massive stars in the universe and are responsible for the ionization of surrounding gas, leading to the formation of H II regions and emission nebulae. Their intense radiation and strong winds also play a crucial role in shaping the surrounding interstellar medium.",

"B star": "A B star is a type of intermediate-mass star that is characterized by its surface temperature, typically between 10,000 and 30,000 Kelvin. B stars are less massive than O stars but still emit significant amounts of radiation and have strong winds, which can ionize surrounding gas and create H II regions. B stars are also responsible for the ionization of surrounding gas, leading to the formation of emission nebulae.",

"Balmer series": "The Balmer series is a series of spectral lines in the visible spectrum of light that are emitted by hydrogen atoms when they transition from higher energy levels to the second energy level. The Balmer series consists of four lines at wavelengths 656.3 nanometers (red), 486.1 nanometers (blue-green), 434.1 nanometers (blue), and 410.2 nanometers (violet). The Balmer series is an important diagnostic tool for astronomers, as it can be used to determine the temperature and density of ionized gas in nebulae and other astrophysical objects."

Here is the list of Milky Way arms and known nebulas in each arm:

**Sagittarius Arm**

* Dumbbell Nebula (M27)

* Omega Nebula (M17)

* Swan Nebula (M20)

* Eagle Nebula (M16)

**Scutum-Centaurus Arm**

* Carina Nebula (NGC 3372)

* Keyhole Nebula (NGC 3372)

* Tarantula Nebula (30 Doradus)

* Pencil Nebula (IC 443)

**Norma Arm**

* Orion Nebula (M42)

* Running Man Nebula (IC 4954)

* Witch Head Nebula (IC 2112)

* Flame Nebula (NGC 2024)

**Perseus Arm**

* Pacman Nebula (NGC 281)

* California Nebula (NGC 1499)

* Running Man Nebula (IC 4954)

**Outer Arm**

* Crab Nebula (M1)

* Veil Nebula (NGC 6960)

* Ring Nebula (M57)

* Eskimo Nebula (NGC 2392)

**Far Outer Arm**

* Lagoon Nebula (M8)

* Trifid Nebula (M20)

* Carina Nebula (NGC 3372)

Note: The classification of Milky Way arms is not universally agreed upon, and different sources may group the arms differently. Additionally, this list is not exhaustive, as there are many other nebulas in the Milky Way galaxy.

Milky Way Spiral Arm

Title Image: Dumbbell Nebula snapped by MZH

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