What characteristic color often results from light scattering in Reflection Nebulae?
Answer
Blue hue
Reflection Nebulae differ fundamentally from emission nebulae because they do not produce significant visible light through emission. Instead, their visibility relies entirely on nearby stars illuminating their suspended dust grains. These dust particles preferentially scatter shorter wavelengths of visible light more effectively than longer wavelengths, a process similar to Rayleigh scattering. This preferential scattering of shorter wavelengths results in the characteristic blue color observed in these illuminated dust clouds, with the light surrounding the Pleiades star cluster serving as a noted example.
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