What are the gases in a nebula
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Answer:
What is a nebula?
A nebula is an enormous cloud of dust and gas occupying the space between stars and acting as a nursery for new stars. The roots of the word come from Latin nebula, which means a “mist, vapor, fog, smoke, exhalation.” Nebulae are made up of dust, basic elements such as hydrogen and other ionized gases. They either form through clouds of cold interstellar gas and dust or through the aftermath of a supernova.
Who discovered it?
As with most things in the heavens, many people can claim the title of the discoverer of nebulae. The first mention of it may have been in 964 by Persian astronomer Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi, who wrote about the Andromeda Galaxy, noticing “a little cloud.” Early Arabic and Chinese astronomers also noticed the creation of the Crab Nebula as a result of a supernova in 1054.
It wasn’t until the 17th century and advances in optics that nebulae became more observed. In 1610, Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Pieresc discovered the Orion Nebula, which was then observed in 1618 by Johann Baptist Cysat. The first detailed observations, though, waited for famous scientist Christiaan Huygens in 1659. Huygens, by the way, also was the first to come up with a standard formula for centripetal force, which he published in 1659. So a big year for Huygens.
About 50 years later, Edmond Halley wrote about six different nebulae. For that, he got a comet named after him. (Not really, he was a very accomplished scientist who served as the second Astronomer Royal in Britain).
But, famous names flocked to nebulae over the years. Edwin Hubble helped categorize nebulae based on the spectra of light they produce, also discovering that nearly all nebulae are associated with stars and are illuminated by starlight.
What are the most abundant gases in a nebula?
Hydrogen and helium gas were the most abundant by far, comprising about 98% of the solar nebula.