Glossary term: Nebulosa oscura
Description: Una nebulosa oscura es una nube fría de gas y polvo en el espacio que bloquea gran parte de la luz de las estrellas y las nebulosas brillantes que se encuentran detrás de ella, por lo que parece oscura. Es el polvo el que bloquea la luz procedente de atrás, aunque el polvo solo represente el 1 % de la materia de la nebulosa. Las nebulosas oscuras bloquean la luz visible y la ultravioleta, pero es posible ver a través de ellas observando en luz infrarroja. El ejemplo más conocido es la Nebulosa Cabeza de Caballo, en la constelación de Orión.
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Term and definition status: The original definition of this term in English have been approved by a research astronomer and a teacher The translation of this term and its definition is still awaiting approval
The OAE Multilingual Glossary is a project of the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE) in collaboration with the IAU Office of Astronomy Outreach (OAO). The terms and definitions were chosen, written and reviewed by a collective effort from the OAE, the OAE Centers and Nodes, the OAE National Astronomy Education Coordinators (NAECs) and other volunteers. You can find a full list of credits here. All glossary terms and their definitions are released under a Creative Commons CC BY-4.0 license and should be credited to "IAU OAE".
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In Other Languages
- Árabe: السديم المظلم
- Alemán: Dunkelnebel
- Inglés: Dark Nebula
- Francés: Nébuleuse sombre
- Italiano: Nebulosa Oscura
- Japonés: 暗黒星雲 (external link)
- Coreano: 암흑성운
- Nepalí: कृष्ण नीहारिका
- Portugués de Brasil: Nebulosa Escura
- Chino simplificado: 暗星云
- Chino tradicional: 暗星雲
Related Media
Dust Clouds and Nebulae near R Coronae Australis
Caption: The image shows a dark and dusty cloud and some bright reflection nebulae near the binary star R Coronae Australis. The dark cloud spans several light-years and is located in the constellation Corona Australis near the constellation Sagittarius, in the direction of the Milky Way's center. The cloud appears to swallow the light of distant stars behind it as the dust particles in it scatter light passing through in all directions. This gives it the appearance of a void in the sky. This dark nebula is part of the broader Corona Australis Molecular Clouds. R Coronae Australis forms part of the Coronet Cluster, a collection of young stars which formed at some point in the last two million years.
Around R Coronae Australis in the center of the image is the small reflection nebula NGC 6729 with two blueish reflection nebulae NGC 6726 and NGC 6727 lying to the upper right of it. In these nebulae the dust scatters light from bright stars near the nebula towards an observer on Earth, making it glow in this image.
Credit: ESO
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License: CC-BY-4.0 Creative Commons Reconocimiento 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0) icons
The LDN 483 Dark Nebula
Caption: This image shows a dark molecular cloud known as LDN 483, captured by the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. At first glance, the patch of sky looks like a region where stars are missing, but the effect is due to interstellar extinction — dust and gas within LDN 483 absorb and scatter light from background stars, making them appear faint or invisible to telescopes that observe visible light. Interstellar extinction is the dimming of light from distant objects caused by dust and gas between the object and the observer, a common phenomenon in astronomy that must be accounted for when measuring stellar brightness and color.
Dark nebulae like LDN 483 are dense concentrations of interstellar matter located within our Milky Way Galaxy. This particular cloud lies about 700 light-years from Earth in the constellation Serpens and contains enough material to block most visible light from stars behind it. Because dust grains preferentially scatter shorter (bluer) wavelengths of light, extinction can also make objects appear redder than they truly are — a related effect known as interstellar reddening. Understanding and correcting for extinction is essential for astronomers to reveal the true brightness, distance, and physical properties of celestial objects seen through dusty regions of space.
Credit: ESO
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License: CC-BY-4.0 Creative Commons Reconocimiento 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0) icons
The Horsehead Nebula
Caption: This image shows the Horsehead Nebula, located at a distance of about 1,300 light-years from Earth in the Orion constellation, one of the most iconic examples of a dark nebula. A dark nebula is a dense cloud of interstellar dust and cold gas that absorbs and scatters visible light, preventing background stars and glowing gas from reaching our eyes. This false-color image combines data captured through multiple narrowband filters, each isolating light from different elements in the nebula. The dark, horse-shaped silhouette appears sharply outlined against the luminous nebula behind it, where energetic radiation from nearby young stars causes the gas to glow. The uneven distribution of visible stars in this image is not random: regions rich in dust in the lower part of this image appear almost empty, while clearer areas reveal many background stars. The dust acts like a cosmic curtain, hiding stars that lie behind it while allowing stars in front of the cloud to remain visible. Studying such regions helps astronomers understand how nebulae serve as environments where new stars can form.
Credit: T.A.Rector (NOIRLab/NSF/AURA) and Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA/NASA)
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License: CC-BY-4.0 Creative Commons Reconocimiento 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0) icons
