Nebulae in fiction

Nebulae, often being visually interesting astronomical objects, are frequently used as settings or backdrops for works of science fiction.

Nebulae may be referred to in fictional works for their metaphorical (meta) or mythological (myth) associations, or else as daubs of light in the sky of Earth (sky), but not as locations in space or the centers of plot development:

 

There follow references to imaginary and real nebulae depicted as locations in space or the locations of planetary systems, categorized by genre.

Authors of science fiction have occasionally created imaginary nebulae in response to special plotting needs, although not nearly as often as they have chosen to pick from among the rich assortment of existing nebulae (next section).

The following sections exhibit a collection of real nebulae that contain imaginary stars or planetary systems, or that otherwise serve as settings for works of science fiction:

Spiral nebula cataloged as M31. Although this object is now known to be a galaxy, some authors aim for an archaic flavor by referring to it using its historical designation as a nebula (see graphic). For works of fiction which feature Andromeda as a galaxy, see Galaxies in fiction.

Supernova remnant cataloged as M1. The Crab Nebula is the residue of supernova SN 1054, which also left a neutron star, the Crab Pulsar, at its center (see graphic). The nebula's spattered, explosive appearance has stimulated several authors to imagine the purposeful destruction of its progenitor star by one or another race of aliens.

Diffuse emission nebula, or H II region, cataloged as M16. The Eagle Nebula, so named from its supposed resemblance to the iconic raptor (frontal view, wings spread, head bowed), is the location of one of the Hubble Space Telescope's most popular images, the Pillars of Creation (see graphic below), which often appear in science fiction film and television. The picture was released by NASA in 1995; within two years (1997) it had already found use in a number of works.

Dark nebula cataloged as B33 in emission nebula IC 434, located close to the belt-star Alnitak in the constellation Orion (see graphic). The Horsehead Nebula is part of the much larger Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. Many of the works of fiction below use the nebula as a cloud of more or less impenetrable darkness; others imagine a host of stars and planets before, within, and especially behind the nebula.

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