How does the average density within a typical nebula compare to laboratory vacuums on Earth?
Answer
The density is far less than the best vacuum achievable in a laboratory on Earth.
Despite containing colossal amounts of raw material spread over many light-years, the material within a nebula is distributed with an extremely low density. This means that even though the total mass might aggregate enough material to form thousands of stars, the space between individual atoms is immense. To put this in perspective, the average internal density is described as being significantly lower than the highest quality vacuum that terrestrial scientists can produce using sophisticated laboratory equipment. It is theoretically possible to travel a considerable distance through a nebula without encountering a single atom due to this vast emptiness.
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