Astronomers use various types of telescopes to study faraway objects in space. Telescopes are tools that make distant objects look bigger, and space telescopes are in orbit high above Earth. The Hubble Space Telescope has taken over a million photos of objects in space, and some of these are nebulae. A nebula is a huge cloud of gas and dust that swirls to make beautiful cosmic art. Some nebulae are areas in space where new stars are formed. Some nebulae are formed when a dying star explodes and turns into gas and dust. The Helix Nebula is the closest known nebula to Earth. Several other nebulae are pictured.

Pronunciation guide. 24 pages filled with engaging, colorful illustrations. Reading Level 1-3, Interest Level 2-5, Word count 248, Lexile measure 600L.