What key process characterizes a Reflection Nebula according to the organizational chart?
Answer
Dust scatters starlight (no internal emission)
The organizational comparison clearly delineates the physical mechanisms driving different nebula types. For a reflection nebula, the primary cause is the presence of nearby star light interacting with the cloud's dust content. The defining characteristic is that the nebula itself does not produce light via internal processes like ionization; rather, it is visible solely because the dust particles within scatter the radiation originating from a nearby luminous source. This contrasts directly with emission nebulae, where the gas itself glows, or supernova remnants, which are defined by an expanding shockwave.
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