Below is a list of the largest nebulae so far discovered, ordered by actual size (a list by angular diameter is listed separately below). This list is prone to change because of inconsistencies between studies, the great distances of nebulae from our stellar neighbourhood, and the constant refinement of technology and engineering. Nebulae have no standardized boundaries, so the measurements are subject to revision. Lastly, scientists are still defining the features and parameters of nebulae. Because of these rapid developments and adjustments, this list might be unreliable.
YouTube Encyclopedic
-
1/5Views:6 981 9821 917 50534 712104 9323 196 121
-
The Insane Engineering of James Webb Telescope
-
How scientists colorize photos of space
-
19 Overlooked Scientists You Should Know
-
The Leviathan of Parsonstown
-
Ultimate Space Telescope | Full Documentary | NOVA | PBS
Transcription
List
| Nebula | Maximum dimension (in light-years/parsecs) |
Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| NGC 262 Halo Cloud | 1,300,000 ly (400,000 pc)[1] | H I region | Spiral nebula surrounding NGC 262, which is one of the largest known galaxies. |
| Leo Ring | 650,000 ly (200,000 pc)[2] | HVC | |
| Magellanic Stream | 600,000 ly (180,000 pc)[3] | complex of HVCs | Connects the Large and Small Magellanic clouds; extends across 180° of the sky. |
| Lyman-alpha blob 1 | 300,000 ly (92,000 pc)[4] | LαB | Largest blob in the LAB Giant Concentration[citation needed] |
| Himiko Gas Cloud | 55,000 ly (17,000 pc)[5] | Intergalactic cloud (possible LαB) |
One of the most massive lyman-alpha blobs known |
| HVC 127-41-330 | 20,000 ly (6,100 pc)[6] | HVC | |
| Smith's Cloud | 9,800 ly (3,000 pc)[7] | HVC | Extends about 20° of the sky |
| Tarantula Nebula | 1,895 ly (581 pc)[8][a] | H II region | Most active starburst region in the Local Group |
| NGC 604 | 1,520 ly (470 pc)[9][10][b] | H II region | Located in the Triangulum Galaxy |
| N44 | 1,000 ly (310 pc)[11] | Emission nebula | |
| N11 | 1,000 ly (310 pc)[12] | H II region | |
| NGC 2404 | 940 ly (290 pc) | H II region | Largest H II region located in the spiral galaxy NGC 2403 |
| NGC 595 | 880 ly (270 pc)[13] | H II region | |
| NGC 6822 | 838 ly (257 pc) | H II region | |
| Gum Nebula | 809–950 ly (248–291 pc)[14][15] | Emission nebula | |
| Bubble Nebula (NGC 6822) | 758 ly (232 pc)[16][17][18] | H II region | |
| NGC 6188 | 600 ly (180 pc) | Emission nebula | |
| NGC 592 | 590 ly (180 pc)[19][20] | H II region | |
| N119 | 570 ly (170 pc)[21] | H II region | Peculiar S-shape |
| Sh2-310 | 531–681 ly (163–209 pc)[22][c] | H II region | Nebula surrounding VY Canis Majoris, which is one of largest known stars. |
| Carina Nebula | 460 ly (140 pc)[23] | H II region | Nearest giant H II region to Earth |
| Dragonfish Nebula | 450 ly (140 pc)[24] | Emission nebula | |
| RCW 49 | 350 ly (110 pc)[25] | H II region | |
| Heart Nebula | 330 ly (100 pc) | H II region | |
| Westerhout 5 (Soul Nebula) | 330 ly (100 pc) | H II region | |
| Henize 70 (N70 or DEM L301)[26] | 300 ly (92 pc)[27] | H II region | The N 70 Nebula, in the Large Magellanic Cloud has a shell structure and is really a bubble in space. It is a "Super Bubble". |
| Barnard's Loop | 300 ly (92 pc)[28][29] | H II region | |
| Sh2-54 | 252 ly (77 pc)[30][31] | H II region | |
| Prawn Nebula | 250 ly (77 pc)[32] | H II region | |
| NGC 7822 | 150 ly (46 pc)[33] | Emission nebula | |
| IC 2944 | 142 ly (44 pc)[34][35] | Emission nebula | |
| Eagle Nebula | 140 ly (43 pc)[36] | H II region | Part of another diffuse nebula IC 4703. |
| Rosette Nebula | 130 ly (40 pc) | H II region | |
| Lagoon Nebula | 110 ly (34 pc) | H II region | |
| NGC 3576 | 100 ly (31 pc) | Emission nebula | |
| Veil Nebula | 100-130 ly (31-40 pc) | Supernova remnant |
By angular diameter
| Celestial object | Angular diameter or size | Relative size |
|---|---|---|
| Magellanic Stream | over 100° | |
| Gum Nebula | 36° | 1,000 ly |
| Milky Way | 30° (by 360°) | 105,700 ly |
| Serpens-Aquila Rift | 20° by 10° | 575 ly or more |
| Canis Major Overdensity | 12° by 12° | |
| Smith's Cloud | 11° | |
| Large Magellanic Cloud | 10.75° by 9.17° | Brightest galaxy in the night sky, 0.9 apparent magnitude (V) |
| Barnard's loop | 10° | |
| Zeta Ophiuchi Sh2-27 nebula | 10° | |
| Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy | 7.5° by 3.6° | |
| Coalsack nebula | 7° by 5° | |
| Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex | 4.5° by 6.5° | |
| Hyades | 5°30′ | Brightest star cluster in the night sky, 0.5 apparent magnitude (V) |
| Small Magellanic Cloud | 5°20′ by 3°5′ | |
| Andromeda Galaxy | 3°10′ by 1° | About six times the size of the Sun or the Moon. Only the much smaller core is visible without long-exposure photography. |
| Veil Nebula | 3° | |
| Heart Nebula | 2.5° by 2.5° | |
| Westerhout 5 | 2.3° by 1.25° | |
| Sh2-54 | 2.3° | |
| Carina Nebula | 2° by 2° | Brightest nebula in the night sky, 1.0 apparent magnitude (V) |
| North America Nebula | 2° by 100′ | |
| Orion Nebula | 1°5′ by 1° | |
| Sun | 31′27″ – 32′32″ | 30–31 times the maximum value for Venus (orange bar below) / 1887–1952″ |
| Moon | 29′20″ – 34′6″ | 28–32.5 times the maximum value for Venus (orange bar below) / 1760–2046″ |
| Helix Nebula | About 16′ by 28′ | |
| Spire in Eagle Nebula | 4′40″ | Length is 280″ |
See also
- List of largest cosmic structures
- List of largest known stars
- List of largest planets
- List of most massive stars
- List of most massive black holes
- List of largest galaxies
Notes
- ^ distance × sin( diameter_angle ) = 1,895 ly
- ^ distance × sin( diameter_angle ) = 1,520 ly
- ^ Those measurements are based on an apparent diameter of 480 arcminutes (') plus an assumed distance of 1.5 kpc and the current distance of VY CMa which is about 1.17 kpc as the nebula is sometimes found to have the same distance as VY CMa.
References
- ^ "The New York Times". Distant galaxy found to be largest known. 1987-03-13. Archived from the original on 2019-05-17. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
- ^ Léo Michel-Dansa; Pierre-Alain Duc (2010). "The mysterious Leo giant gas ring explained by a billion year old collision between two galaxies". Canada France Hawaii Telescope. Archived from the original on 2013-10-10. Retrieved 2016-12-18.
- ^ "Magellanic Stream". COSMOS - The SAO Encyclopedia of Astronomy. Swinburne University of Technology. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
- ^ "Giant Space Blob Glows from Within". ESO Press Release. 17 August 2011. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
- ^ Hsu, Jeremy (2009-04-22). "Giant Mystery Blob Discovered Near Dawn of Time". SPACE.com. Archived from the original on 2009-04-23. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
- ^ Josh Simon (Spring 2005). Dark Matter in Dwarf Galaxies: Observational Tests of the Cold Dark Matter Paradigm on Small Scales (PDF) (PhD thesis). University of California, Berkeley. Bibcode:2005PhDT.........2S. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 13, 2006.
- ^ Lockman, Felix J.; Benjamin, Robert A.; Heroux, A. J.; Langston, Glen I. (May 2008). "The Smith Cloud: A High-Velocity Cloud Colliding with the Milky Way". The Astrophysical Journal. 679 (1): L21. arXiv:0804.4155. Bibcode:2008ApJ...679L..21L. doi:10.1086/588838. S2CID 118393177.
- ^ "Results for Tarantula Nebula". SEDS Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. Archived from the original on 2011-10-08. Retrieved 2007-05-08.
30 Doradus .. 49 kpc +- 3 kpc
- ^ Barba, Rodolfo (2004). "An in-depth analysis of a prototypical giant H II region: NGC 604". HST Proposal ID #10419: 10419. Bibcode:2004hst..prop10419B.
- ^ "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for NGC 604. Archived from the original on 2011-08-14. Retrieved 2006-09-03.
- ^ "Roses in the Southern Sky". ESO. 3 November 2003. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- ^ "N11 complex in LMC". astronomy and observation. Archived from the original on 11 November 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
- ^ "NGC 595: A Great Diffuse Nebula in M33". Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 13 Jan 2013.
- ^ Sushch, I.; Hnatyk, B.; Neronov, A. (2011). "Modeling of the Vela complex including the Vela supernova remnant, the binary system γ2 Velorum, and the Gum nebula". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 525: A154. arXiv:1011.1177. Bibcode:2011A&A...525A.154S. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201015346. S2CID 55224501.
- ^ "result for Gum 12". Galaxy Map. Archived from the original on 2009-04-11. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
- ^ Karachentsev et al. 2004
- ^ Karachentsev & Kashibadze 2006
- ^ Cannon et al. 2006
- ^ "NGC 592 NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database Results". ned.ipac.caltech.edu. Archived from the original on 2018-10-31. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
- ^ "Site of Professor C. Seligman: NGC 550 - 599". cseligman.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-10. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
- ^ Ambrocio-Cruz, P.; Rosado, M.; Laval, A.; Le Coarer, E.; Russeil, D.; Amram, P. (July 22, 2008). "Kinematic field of the S-shaped nebula N119 in the LMC" (PDF). Revista Mexicana de Astronomía y Astrofísica. 44: 355. Bibcode:2008RMxAA..44..355A. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 20, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
- ^ Sharpless, Stewart (1959). "A Catalogue of H II Regions". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 4: 257. Bibcode:1959ApJS....4..257S. doi:10.1086/190049.
- ^ "NGC 3372 - The Eta Carinae Nebula". Atlas of the Universe. Archived from the original on 2013-05-12. Retrieved 2013-10-01.
- ^ "Dragonfish Coming at You in Infrared". NASA. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
- ^ NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day: Cosmic Construction Zone RCW 49 (3 June 2004)
- ^ "N70. HENIZE 70 – Astrodrudis". Archived from the original on 2019-05-17. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
- ^ "N70 Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud". www.eso.org. Archived from the original on 15 November 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
- ^ Wilson, B.A.; Dame, T.M.; Masheder, M.R.W.; Thaddeus, P. (2005). "A uniform CO survey of the molecular clouds in Orion and Monoceros". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 430 (2): 523–539. arXiv:astro-ph/0411089. Bibcode:2005A&A...430..523W. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20035943. S2CID 13916583. Archived from the original on 2018-12-12. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
- ^ O'Dell, C.R.; Ferland, G.J.; Porter, R.L.; van Hoof, P.A.M. (2011). "Physical Conditions in Barnard's Loop, Components of the Orion-eridanus Bubble, and Implications for the Warm Ionized Medium Component of the Interstellar Medium". The Astrophysical Journal. 733 (1): 9. arXiv:1103.2789. Bibcode:2011ApJ...733....9O. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/733/1/9. S2CID 5019523.
- ^ Sharpless, Stewart (December 1959). "A Catalogue of H II Regions". Astrophysical Journal Supplement. 4: 257. Bibcode:1959ApJS....4..257S. doi:10.1086/190049.
- ^ Reipurth, B. (December 2008). "The Young Cluster NGC 6604 and the Serpens OB2 Association". Handbook of Star Forming Regions, Volume II: The Southern Sky. 5: 590. Bibcode:2008hsf2.book..590R.
- ^ "Cosmic Recycling". Archived from the original on 7 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- ^ Seligman, Courtney. "New General Catalogue objects: NGC 7800 - 7840". cseligman.com. Archived from the original on 19 February 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
- ^ Thackeray, A. D.; Wesselink, A. J. (1965). "A photometric and spectroscopic study of the cluster IC 2944". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 131: 121–135. Bibcode:1965MNRAS.131..121T. doi:10.1093/mnras/131.1.121.
- ^ SEDS: IC 2944
- ^ "Messier 16". Archived from the original on 2018-10-04. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
Sources
- Cannon, John M.; Walter, Fabian; Armus, Lee; Bendo, George J.; Calzetti, Daniela; Draine, Bruce T.; Engelbracht, Charles W.; Helou, George; et al. (December 2006), "The Nature of Infrared Emission in the Local Group Dwarf Galaxy NGC 6822 as Revealed by Spitzer", The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 652, no. 2, pp. 1170–1187, arXiv:astro-ph/0608249, Bibcode:2006ApJ...652.1170C, doi:10.1086/508341, S2CID 10287455
- Karachentsev, I. D.; Karachentseva, V. E.; Hutchmeier, W. K.; Makarov, D. I. (April 2004), "A Catalog of Neighboring Galaxies", Astronomical Journal, vol. 127, no. 4, pp. 2031–2068, Bibcode:2004AJ....127.2031K, doi:10.1086/382905
- Karachentsev, I. D.; Kashibadze, O. G. (January 2006), "Masses of the local group and of the M81 group estimated from distortions in the local velocity field", Astrophysics, vol. 49, no. 1, pp. 3–18, Bibcode:2006Ap.....49....3K, doi:10.1007/s10511-006-0002-6, S2CID 120973010
| Visible nebula | |
|---|---|
| Pre-stellar nebulae | |
| Stellar nebula | |
| Post-stellar nebulae | |
| Clouds | |
| Morphology | |
| Intergalactic blobs | |
 Lists |
|
| Related | |
This page was last edited on 21 October 2023, at 23:07