As we continue to break new ground in the field of cosmology, the importance of carefully categorizing the objects we see comes into focus. Part of this stems from the fact that, increasingly, we find ...

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope dazzled with a new image showcasing a trio of radiant stars nestled within the luminous expanse of a reflection nebula. The celestial display resembles a dazzling cosmic ...

In this image, a nebula can be seen reflecting the light of a neighboring star, which lies some 440 light-years away in the constellation of Taurus. Merope’s Reflection nebula (also known as Tempel’s ...

The reflection nebular NGC 1999 lies about 1,350 light years from Earth in the constellation Orion, and exhibits an inky black central “keyhole” in this image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope ...

In the February 2014 issue, dedicated astroimager Thomas V. Davis introduced readers to his world of astrophotography. His biggest current project is imaging the 159-object van den Bergh catalog of ...

This Hubble Space Telescope image captures a portion of the reflection nebula IC 2631, which contains a protostar, the hot, dense core of a forming star that is accumulating gas and dust. Eventually, ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. An award-winning reporter writing about stargazing and the night sky. It’s one of the most common words used by astronomers—and ...

Why is Christian Science in our name? Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and we’ve always been transparent about that. The church publishes the ...

Many scientific terms are very specific, but the term nebula is, well, nebulous. In a very generic sense, it simply means a fuzzy thing. But there are a wide variety of astronomical objects that can ...

The Iris Nebula (NGC 7023) is a reflection nebula, reflecting starlight, not producing its own light. It's located 1,300 light-years away in the constellation Cepheus. A star (SAO 19158) and an open ...

A malevolent, screaming skull face. A witch cackling in profile. An all-seeing eye, gazing red and furious from the cosmic depths. Space can be as terrifying as it is beautiful. From nebulas — vast ...