planetary nebula
noun
: a usually compact luminous ring-shaped nebula that is composed of matter which has been ejected from a hot star at its center
Examples of planetary nebula in a Sentence
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The distribution of buckyballs and other molecules in the planetary nebula will help astrophysicists decipher how these structures evolve over time and know more about what chemistry fuels the cosmos.
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Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 24 Apr. 2026
Cami's team was awarded more time on JWST to look at two other planetary nebulas in the fall, which also have a lot of buckyballs visible in their spectrum.
—Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Amateur astronomers can squint into an eight-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope and learn how to identify a dwarf galaxy from a planetary nebula.
—Mark Johanson, Outside, 18 Mar. 2026
Finally, its now-inert core contracts down to form a white dwarf, while the prior ejecta get heated up and ionized, creating a planetary nebula.
—Big Think, 20 Feb. 2026
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Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 24 Apr. 2026
Cami's team was awarded more time on JWST to look at two other planetary nebulas in the fall, which also have a lot of buckyballs visible in their spectrum.
—Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Amateur astronomers can squint into an eight-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope and learn how to identify a dwarf galaxy from a planetary nebula.
—Mark Johanson, Outside, 18 Mar. 2026
Finally, its now-inert core contracts down to form a white dwarf, while the prior ejecta get heated up and ionized, creating a planetary nebula.
—Big Think, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for planetary nebula
Cite this Entry
“Planetary nebula.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/planetary%20nebula. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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