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Astronomy (thesaurus)

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Concept information

Preferred term

planetary nebula  

Definition

  • A planetary nebula is a luminous shell of gas, often of complex structure, cast off and caused to fluoresce by an evolved star of less than about 4 solar masses. Planetary nebulae have nothing to do with planets other than their name, which was coined by William Herschel, in the 1780s, because their appearance suggested to him the greenish disk of Uranus. (Encyclopedia of Science, by David Darling, https://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/P/planneb.html)

Broader concept

Entry terms

  • planetary nebulae

In other languages

URI

http://data.loterre.fr/ark:/67375/MDL-Q077VJ48-Z

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