Written for the KidsKnowIt Network by: Gemma Lavender, MPhys,
FRAS Ever wondered where stars are made? Well, now you are about
to find out! Just where these hot balls of gas start their lives
begins in what astronomers call a nebula (plural: nebulae) and
they are basically the nurseries of the Universe. Do you
remember when your parents first took you to nursery? Do you
remember what it was like? Well, whatever you remember from the
nursery that you went to, stellar nurseries are quite different!
For one, a nebula is a gigantic cloud of dust and gas; mainly of
hydrogen and helium gases, and they can be light years across -
that’s trillions of miles - imagine how many nurseries you can
fit into one of these ginormous star factories! Secondly, they
look quite fuzzy in appearance - pretty much like fluffy clouds
or cotton wool in the sky. Imagine having to go nursery in a
massive splattering of cotton wool? Nebulae come in not just a
variety of sizes, they also come in a range of shapes with some
of them looking