Fantastic Nebula’s in Our Universe

Eskimo Nebula (NGC 2392)
This planetary nebula began forming about 10,000 years ago, when the dying star began flinging material into space. It's about 5,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Gemini. It's nicknamed the "Eskimo" Nebula because it resembles a face surrounded by a fur parka.
The Crab Nebula (M1)
The Crab Nebula is an expanding remnant of a star's supernova explosion nearly 1,000 years ago. At the center is a fast-spinning neutron star, a pulsar, which powers the bluish nebula from which the red filaments seem to emerge. M1 lies approximately 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Taurus.

Cosmic spider: The Tarantula Nebula
This three-color image shows the Tarantula Nebula (NGC 2070) in the Large Magellanic Cloud. This giant emission nebula is 1,000 light-years across and 180,000 light-years away in the southern constellation Dorado. It's one of the most active star-forming regions in our Local Group of galaxies. It's also known as 30 Doradus.

Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543)
The Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) is a planetary nebula in the constellation Draco and is one of the most complex nebulae known. It's estimated to be 1,000 years old with concentric gas shells, high-speed gas jets, and gas knots.

The Rosette Nebula (NGC 2237)
At its core, NGC 2237 holds/contains an open cluster of bright, young stars. The Rosette Nebula lies in the constellation Monoceros the Unicorn in the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy.

The Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635)
About 6 light-years in diameter, the Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635) lies 11,000 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia. The nebula is the smallest of 3 shells of gas surrounding the massive star BD+602522 (near center of bubble). The magenta wisps near the bottom-right of the image are the remnants of supernova that exploded thousands of years ago.

Cometary Globule CG4
Cometary globules are small clouds of gas and dust within the Milky Way. The head of Cometary Globule CG4 is about 1.5 light-years in diameter, and the tail is approximately 8 light-years long. It's about 1,300 light-years from Earth and lies in the constellation Puppis.

NGC 3603
One of the most massive young star clusters in the Milky Way lives within the giant emission nebula NGC 3603, approximately 20,000 light-years away. Ultraviolet radiation and strong winds from the bluest and hottest stars have created a big bubble around the cluster. Sir John Herschel discovered the nebula in 1834.

Abell 39
Abell 39 is a planetary nebula with a diameter of about 5 light-years, and the shell has a thickness of approximately a third of a light-year. This nebula is about 7,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Hercules. Note that the central star is blue-white in color, indicating that the white dwarf star is hot. Distant background galaxies also appear in this image.

M43 (NGC 1982)
Emission Nebula M43 (NGC 1982) is part of the larger Orion Nebula (M42). It's separated from the main nebula by a dark lane, which you can see in this image. The central star is a young, irregular variable named NU Orionis, or HD37061.

The Trifid Nebula (M20)
M20, the Trifid Nebula, consists of both a red emission nebula and a blue reflection nebula component. The southern part of the region is where new stars are forming. M20 is located in the western part of Sagittarius with a distance somewhere between 2,200 and 7,600 light-years away.

The Witch's Broom Nebula (NGC 6960)
NGC 6960, also known as the Witch's Broom, is part of the Veil Nebula. It's the remains of one, and possibly two, supernovae that exploded about 15,000 years ago. Approximately, 1,500 light-years from Earth, this nebula lies in the constellation Cygnus. The bright star in the middle of the image known as 52 Cygni, is not part of the supernova remnant.

Helix Nebula (NGC 7293)
The Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) is one of the nearest planetary nebulae to Earth. The colors of the nebula correspond to glowing oxygen (blue), hydrogen and nitrogen (red). It's in the constellation Aquarius, about 650 light-years from Earth.

Lagoon Nebula, NGC 6523 (M8)
The Lagoon Nebula, NGC 6523 (M8) is in the constellation Sagittarius. It glows red because the radiation of hot stars at its center excite hydrogen. Occasionally, several unusual variable stars in the nebula flare up, causing their brightness to increase 25 times their normal luminosity. The nebula is about 6,500 light-years away and about 60 light-years across.

Pickering's Triangle
Pickering's Triangle is part of the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant, which includes the famous Veil Nebula. About 1,500 light-years from Earth, it's located in the constellation Cygnus the Swan. The supernova explosion that produced the nebula is estimated to have occurred 5,000 to 10,000 years ago.

Horsehead Nebula
The Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33) is part of the bright nebula IC #434. It's an extremely dense cloud located in Orion, approximately 1,600 light-years from Earth. Ionized gas provides the pink glow behind the nebula. (The lower left bright star is Zeta Orionis.)

Elephant Trunk Nebula
The Elephant Trunk Nebula is a dense cloud of gas inside a bright cluster of stars known as IC 1396. The nebula is nearly 3,000 light-years away in the constellation Cepheus. The "trunk" is over 20 light-years long.