What does nebula mean?
Word: Nebula
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Nebula means a huge mass of gas and dust floating in space. New stars are often formed inside a nebula.
Word origin: From Latin nebula, 'mist'.
How do you spell nebula?
Syllables: neb - u - la
Tricky part: The end is a plain a, even though it sounds like uh. Children who spell by ear try nebuler or nebulah.
Watch out for: nebulla, nebbula, nebuler, nebulah
Memory tip: Every letter in nebula is different from the others, so there is never a pair of letters to write.
Nebula in a sentence
Example 1: The space book had a bright pink picture of a nebula.
Example 2: Astronomers saw a new star shining inside the nebula.
Example 3: From far away, the nebula looked like a puff of glowing smoke.
Fun Fact
The Orion Nebula is bright enough to spot on a clear, dark night. It looks like a faint fuzzy spot just below the belt of Orion, the three bright stars in a row.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) constelation
b) nebula
c) astronot
d) galaxey
Show answer
b) nebula. Nebula is the only one spelt right; galaxy, constellation and astronaut are written wrongly here.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
n_b_la
a) e, o
b) e, u
c) i, u
d) a, u
Show answer
b) e, u. Read it as neb-u-la: e in the first beat, u in the second.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word: nebula
a) orbit
b) cloud
c) crater
d) comet
Show answer
b) cloud. A nebula is a vast cloud of gas and dust in space.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The guide at the planitarium showed us a bright nebula on the dome.
a) planitarium
b) guide
c) nebula
d) bright
Show answer
a) planitarium. Planetarium is built on planet, so an e follows the n.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A science magazine shows a photo of a nebula. What does the photo most likely show?
a) a ring of rock and ice round a planet
b) a glowing haze of colour among stars
c) a grey moon covered in craters
d) a bright streak with a long tail
Show answer
b) a glowing haze of colour among stars
2. Which tool would help you see a faint nebula most clearly?
a) a periscope
b) a microscope
c) a magnifying glass
d) a telescope
Show answer
d) a telescope
