Nebula vs. Galaxy — What's the Difference?

Nebulae are often regions where new stars form.

A Galaxy can contain multiple star systems, clusters, and nebulae.

A Nebula can emit, reflect, or absorb light.

A Galaxy contains billions to trillions of stars bound by gravity.

A nebula (Latin for 'cloud' or 'fog'; pl. nebulae, nebulæ or nebulas) is an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen, helium and other ionized gases.

Dark matter is a significant component of a Galaxy's mass.

A cloud of gas and dust in outer space, visible in the night sky either as an indistinct bright patch or as a dark silhouette against other luminous matter.

A galaxy is a gravitationally bound system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias (γαλαξίας), literally "milky", a reference to the Milky Way.

A clouded spot on the cornea causing defective vision.

A system of millions or billions of stars, together with gas and dust, held together by gravitational attraction.

A diffuse cloud of interstellar dust or gas or both, visible as luminous patches or areas of darkness depending on the way the mass absorbs or reflects incident light or emits its own light.

Any of numerous large-scale aggregates of stars, gas, and dust that constitute the universe, containing an average of 100 billion (1011) solar masses and ranging in diameter from 1,500 to 300,000 light-years.

A galaxy. No longer in technical use.

Often Galaxy The Milky Way.

A cloudy spot on the cornea.

An assembly of brilliant, glamorous, or distinguished persons or things

A liquid preparation for use in a nebulizer.

The Milky Way; the apparent band of concentrated stars which appears in the night sky over earth.

(astronomy) A cloud in outer space consisting of gas or dust (e.g. a cloud formed after a star explodes).

(galaxy) Any of the collections of many millions or billions of stars, galactic dust, black holes, etc. existing as independent and coherent systems, of which there are billions in the known universe.

A white spot or slight opacity of the cornea.

(figuratively) An assemblage of things or people seen as luminous or brilliant.

A cloudy appearance in the urine.

Any print or pattern reminiscent of a galaxy, generally consisting of blending, semiopaque patches of vibrant color on a dark background.

A faint, cloudlike, self-luminous mass of matter situated beyond the solar system among the stars. The term was originally applied to any diffuse luminous region. Now, technically, it is applied to interstellar clouds of dust and gases (diffuse nebula). However distant galaxies and very distant star clusters often appear like them in the telescope, such as the spiral nebula in Andromeda, known now to be a distant galaxy.

To furnish with galaxies.

A white spot or a slight opacity of the cornea.

(archaic) To gather together into a luminous whole.

A medicinal liquid preparation intended for use in an atomizer

The Milky Way, that luminous tract, or belt, which is seen at night stretching across the heavens, and which is composed of innumerable stars, so distant and blended as to be distinguishable only with the telescope.

Cloudiness of the urine

A very large collection of stars comparable in size to the Milky Way system, held together by gravitational force and separated from other such star systems by large distances of mostly empty space. Galaxies vary widely in shape and size, the most common nearby galaxies being over 70,000 light years in diameter and separated from each other by even larger distances. The number of stars in one galaxy varies, and may extend into the hundreds of billions.

An immense cloud of gas (mainly hydrogen) and dust in interstellar space

A splendid or impressive assemblage of persons or things; as, a galaxy of movie stars.

(pathology) a faint cloudy spot on the cornea

A splendid assemblage (especially of famous people)

A Nebula is a vast cloud of interstellar gas and dust.

Tufted evergreen perennial herb having spikes of tiny white flowers and glossy green round to heart-shaped leaves that become coppery to maroon or purplish in fall

Some Nebulae are remnants of dead or dying stars.

(astronomy) a collection of star systems; any of the billions of systems each having many stars and nebulae and dust;

Nebulae can be illuminated by nearby stars.

Galaxies can have spiral, elliptical, or irregular shapes.

Galaxies are often part of larger cosmic structures called galaxy clusters.

Galaxies can be spiral, elliptical, or irregular in shape.

The colors in Nebulae are often due to the emission of light from ionized gases or the reflection of light from nearby stars.

A Galaxy contains billions to trillions of stars, while a star cluster is a smaller grouping of stars, often within a Galaxy.

No, Nebulae are vast, diffuse clouds of gas and dust, not solid.

Most Galaxies, especially those actively forming stars, contain Nebulae. However, the number and type can vary.

Yes, there are various types, including emission, reflection, and dark nebulae.

Nebulae provide the necessary gas and dust for the formation of new stars.

A typical Galaxy can contain anywhere from billions to trillions of stars.

Nebulae can vary widely in size, from a few light-years across to hundreds of light-years in diameter.

A Nebula is primarily made up of gas and dust in space.

Typically, Nebulae are found within Galaxies, serving as regions of star formation.

While dark matter doesn't emit light, its presence is inferred from gravitational effects on visible matter in a Galaxy.

Yes, Galaxies, especially those in close proximity, can merge due to gravitational interactions, often forming a larger Galaxy.

Yes, as stars form or die within a Nebula, its composition and appearance can change.

Galaxies are part of larger structures like clusters and superclusters, forming a cosmic web in the universe.