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Quizzes > Science

Nebula Quiz: Name Famous Nebulae by Image

Quick, free nebula image quiz to test your deep-sky knowledge. Instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Jef HumUpdated Aug 28, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Colorful paper art nebula quiz illustration on a sky blue background.

This nebula quiz helps you identify famous nebulae from images and pick up a quick fact with each answer. Move through vivid deep-sky photos, build speed, and get instant feedback after every guess. When you are done, try the NASA space quiz, explore star trivia, or dig into a galaxy formation quiz.

What is a nebula?
A galaxy
A cloud of gas and dust in space
A comet
A type of star
A nebula is an interstellar cloud composed primarily of gas (mainly hydrogen) and dust. These structures are the birthplaces of stars and can glow or darken depending on the interaction with nearby stars. Nebulae vary in size, composition, and appearance across the galaxy.
Which element is most abundant in typical nebulae?
Carbon
Hydrogen
Oxygen
Helium
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in nebulae, making up the majority of the gas by mass. It serves as the primary fuel for star formation when regions within the nebula collapse under gravity. Traces of heavier elements also exist but in much smaller proportions.
What color do emission nebulae most commonly appear in astrophotography due to hydrogen alpha emissions?
Green
Red
Blue
Yellow
Emission nebulae emit light primarily at the hydrogen alpha wavelength, which appears red in optical images. This strong emission line comes from excited hydrogen atoms recombining with electrons. Photographers often highlight this red glow in images to showcase H? regions.
The Pillars of Creation are located in which famous nebula?
Orion Nebula
Carina Nebula
Eagle Nebula
Crab Nebula
The Pillars of Creation are towering columns of gas and dust located within the Eagle Nebula (M16). They were famously imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1995. These structures host active star formation at their tips.
Which telescope originally captured the iconic Pillars of Creation image?
Chandra X-ray Observatory
Hubble Space Telescope
James Webb Space Telescope
Spitzer Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope captured the first high-resolution image of the Pillars of Creation in 1995. Its instruments revealed fine structures in the columns that ground-based telescopes could not resolve. Hubble continues to provide detailed views of nebulae across multiple wavelengths.
How do reflection nebulae become visible?
By scattering and reflecting nearby starlight
By fluorescence from ultraviolet pumping
Through synchrotron radiation from electrons
By emitting their own thermal radiation
Reflection nebulae shine because dust grains scatter and reflect light from nearby stars. They do not produce light through emission processes but appear blue since shorter wavelengths scatter more effectively. Their brightness depends on the illuminating star's intensity and dust density.
The Orion Nebula is part of which constellation?
Cygnus
Taurus
Orion
Sagittarius
As its name suggests, the Orion Nebula lies in the sword of Orion, one of the brightest constellations in the sky. It is visible to the naked eye under dark skies. This star-forming region is designated M42 in the Messier catalog.
Planetary nebulae are formed from the outer layers of which type of star?
Low to intermediate mass stars
Brown dwarfs
Massive O-type stars
Neutron stars
Planetary nebulae result when low to intermediate mass stars (1 - 8 solar masses) expel their outer envelopes during late evolutionary stages. The exposed hot core then ionizes this ejected material, causing it to glow. The process is relatively brief on astronomical timescales.
The Crab Nebula is the remnant of which supernova observed on Earth?
SN 1987A
SN 1054
SN 1604
SN 1572
Historical records from 1054 CE describe a bright 'guest star' that remained visible in daylight for weeks. This event is now known as SN 1054, the explosion that created the Crab Nebula (M1). Modern observations show a pulsar at its center, a sign of a core-collapse event.
Which of these is not officially classified as a nebula type?
Dark nebula
Spiral nebula
Emission nebula
Reflection nebula
Spiral nebula was a historical term once used for distant galaxies before their true nature was understood. Emission, reflection, and dark nebulae are genuine categories based on physical processes. Dark nebulae obscure background stars rather than emit or reflect light.
Approximately how far is the Helix Nebula from Earth?
13,000 light-years
50,000 light-years
2,000 light-years
700 light-years
The Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) lies about 650 - 700 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius. It is one of the closest and best-studied planetary nebulae. Its large apparent size makes it prominent in wide-field images.
What process dominates emission in H II regions to produce strong optical lines?
Thermal bremsstrahlung
Synchrotron radiation from electrons
Recombination of electrons with protons
Collisional excitation of metals
H II regions glow primarily through recombination: free electrons recombining with protons emit photons at specific wavelengths. The hydrogen alpha line is a signature of this process. Collisional excitation of metals contributes weaker lines but is secondary.
The Horsehead Nebula is part of which larger molecular cloud complex?
Lagoon Nebula Area
Orion Molecular Cloud Complex
Rosette Nebula Region
Carina Nebula Complex
The Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33) lies within the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex in Orion's Belt region. It appears as a dark silhouette against bright emission from IC 434. This complex hosts many star-forming regions and nebulae.
What is the typical electron temperature of ionized gas in an emission nebula?
300 K
1,000,000 K
100 K
10,000 K
Ionized regions in emission nebulae typically reach electron temperatures around 8,000 - 12,000 K. This temperature results from heating by ultraviolet radiation from hot, young stars. Cooler thermal phases exist elsewhere, but the ionized gas remains at ten thousand Kelvin.
What does the term "H II region" specifically designate in nebular astrophysics?
A molecular hydrogen cloud
A neutral hydrogen region
A hydrogen solid-state region
A cloud of ionized hydrogen
H II regions refer to zones where hydrogen atoms are ionized (stripped of electrons) by ultraviolet radiation from hot stars. The Roman numeral II indicates one electron removed. These regions are sites of active star formation and glowing emission.
Which nebula hosts the well-known Herbig - Haro objects HH 1 and HH 2, indicative of young stellar jets?
Hubble's Variable Nebula
Orion Nebula
Eagle Nebula
Carina Nebula
HH 1 and HH 2 are the first Herbig - Haro objects discovered, located north of the Orion Nebula. They trace bipolar jets from a newly formed star colliding with the surrounding gas. Their study has provided key insights into the mechanics of stellar outflows.
The Red Rectangle Nebula shows a distinct extended red emission (ERE). What does ERE indicate?
Intense magnetic fields
High-energy gamma rays
Thermal emission from dust grains
The presence of complex carbonaceous molecules
Extended red emission (ERE) arises when ultraviolet photons excite complex carbonaceous molecules or nanoparticles, causing a broad red photoluminescence. The Red Rectangle is one of the best examples where ERE is observed. This emission reveals the chemistry of the circumstellar environment.
In planetary nebula Abell 39, the ionization front remains bounded by what primary factor?
Rapid stellar winds
Dark matter halo
Magnetic field confinement
Surrounding interstellar medium density
Abell 39 exhibits a nearly spherical shell that is ionization-bounded, meaning the dense surrounding interstellar medium prevents the ionizing photons from escaping. The ambient gas density dictates the extent of the ionized region. Stellar winds and magnetic fields play a lesser role in this case.
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Study Outcomes

  1. Identify Iconic Nebulae -

    Use the nebula quiz to accurately recognize famous cosmic clouds like the Orion and Eagle Nebula by their distinctive shapes and colors.

  2. Differentiate Nebula Types -

    Learn to distinguish emission, reflection and planetary nebula images based on unique morphological features and spectral characteristics.

  3. Recall Key Celestial Facts -

    Memorize essential information about nebulae, including their distances, compositions and formation processes for improved astronomy quiz performance.

  4. Analyze Visual Clues -

    Develop analytical skills to interpret image details and fun facts, enhancing accuracy when matching nebula names to their photos.

  5. Apply Nebula Knowledge -

    Transfer your understanding to broader space trivia quizzes and astronomy discussions, confidently identifying deep-space clouds.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Nebula Classification and Types -

    Nebulae are broadly classified into emission, reflection, dark, and planetary types based on their light-emitting or -blocking properties, as detailed by NASA's astrophysics guidelines. Emission nebulae glow through ionized gas, reflection nebulae scatter starlight, dark nebulae obscure background stars, and planetary nebulae mark dying stars. Memorize "E-R-D-P" (Emission, Reflection, Dark, Planetary) to keep the four main categories clear for your nebula quiz.

  2. Emission Nebula Spectra and Hα Line -

    Emission nebulae shine primarily via the Hα transition at 656.3 nm, produced when electrons in ionized hydrogen (H II) recombine, as explained in university-level spectroscopy texts. The simplified emissivity relation ε ∝ n_e n_p highlights that brightness scales with electron and proton densities, underlining why dense star-forming regions glow intensely. Recall "H two, H alpha" to link H II regions with their signature reddened glow for your nebula identification quiz rounds.

  3. Reflection Nebula Light-Scattering Characteristics -

    Reflection nebulae shine by scattering blue starlight off fine dust particles, following Rayleigh's law (scattering ∝ λ❻❴), which astrophysics papers from the ESA discuss in detail. This explains why objects like the Pleiades reflection nebula appear strikingly blue against dark skies. Use the mnemonic "Blue Best" to remember that shorter wavelengths dominate reflection nebulae in your space trivia quiz.

  4. Dark Nebula Dust Obscuration -

    Dark nebulae are dense clouds of gas and dust that block background stars, characterized by high optical depth (τ = κ ϝ d), a concept covered in graduate-level interstellar medium research. Their silhouettes against star fields - like the Horsehead Nebula - teach you to identify them by absence rather than emission. Think "Dust Hides" so you recognize dark nebulae by their shadowy profiles in any astronomy quiz.

  5. Iconic Nebulae Identification Mnemonics -

    Familiarize yourself with famous targets: the Orion Nebula (M42), Eagle Nebula (M16), and Lagoon Nebula (M8), using "42, 16, 8 - nebulae that are great" as a simple rhyme. Recognizing unique shapes - Orion's sword, Eagle's pillars, Lagoon's glowing arch - boosts your speed on any nebula identification quiz. These vivid images and catchy mnemonics will make pinpointing cosmic clouds both easy and fun.

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