The Universe - Nebulas

Documentary of the History channel's "The Universe" series, this episode from season 3 takes a look at the different types of Nebulas. From the Nebulas which give birth to Stars, to those which are the remnants of Stars now gone.

Watch Documentary; The Universe: Nebulas

In the beginning, the Universe was extremely hot and dense, but over time it began to cool and expand. Space filled with protons, neutrons and electrons, which are the building blocks of atoms. Over hundreds of thousands of years, stable atoms of hydrogen and helium evolved. These atoms then massed together in clouds called nebulae.

Triangulum Nebula

M16 Nebula

Cats Eye Nebula

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NGC 6240

NGC 6240 - a particularly beautiful butterfly galaxy (sometimes also known as "Lobster Galaxy"). It is composed of a pair of lesser galaxies, which are in the process of merging into each other. These visually enthralling galaxies are located in the Ophiuchus Constellation, at a distance of roughly 400 million light-years from Earth. Ophiuchius is other wise known as the "Serpent Holder". The galaxies will eventually merge completely together within some tens, to hundreds of millions of years. When this finally happens, it is thought that the two giant black holes within these galaxies will drift toward one another, formaing an even bigger black hole.

Mayall's Object

ARP 148

Arp 148, cutely nicknamed Mayall's object, is the remains of a collision between two galaxies, what followed, was the formation of a circular ring galaxy and a long streak which is the other galaxy. The collision between the two original galaxies cause a shockwave which pulled matter into the central core, which subsequently caused it to expand into the ring shape you can see before you. Arp 148 is situated in Ursa Major,otherwise known as "the Great Bear" (Ursa means bear in Latin, and Major means larger), Arp148 is approximately 500 million light-years from Earth.