The Orion Nebula is the 25th Interstellar Object, the 8th Nebula and the 4th Diffuse obtained in The Beyond Bubble Universe, which can generate Stardust. (Unlocked at Rank 24)
In-Game Description[]
"Hanging below Orion’s blue-starred belt, three dim stars make up his sword, which carries the sheen of a nebula. Ancient Maya called this shiny cloud the “cosmic fire of creation.” And they were right: the Orion Nebula is the nearest stellar nursery to Earth."
Traits[]
Common[]
- Trapezium Cluster (Speed):
"The “cosmic fire” of the nebula comes from a clump of stars that happen to be visible from Earth. Their stellar winds swept away curtains of dense clouds, and their UV rays set the stage aglow. They gave us front-row seats to a nebular womb where stars are being born."
- Proplyds (Payout):
"The Orion Nebula is packed with proplyds—protoplanetary disks circling a prenatal star. In 2023, within proplyd d203-506, the Webb telescope spotted methyl cation, the first known presence in space of a key molecule for carbon-based life to develop."
Rare[]
- Cosmic Dust (Payout):
"Cosmic dust goes everywhere: It’s in interstellar space, between galaxies and stars and planets, orbiting bodies, and even falling to Earth as meteoroids. The particles can be organic or inorganic matter, and most of them are extremely tiny—a few molecules or so."
Epic[]
- Cosmology (Speed):
"The scientific study of the universe asks the very biggest questions. How did it form? What came before? How does it work? Is it infinite? Will it die? All the pieces we observe—comets, moons, planets, stars, galaxies, nebulae, and even voids—provide some answers."
- Dark Matter (Payout):
"Dark matter acts like a superhero. It’s everywhere in space and yet invisible. Its gravity distorts huge objects that we can see. It can even buttress a dwarf galaxy against annihilation by a giant one. The duo of dark matter and dark energy make up 95% of the universe."
- Dark Energy (Discount):
"Little is known about dark energy, except that it’s repulsive. Opposing gravity, this strange force causes matter to scatter rather than attract, pushing our universe to expand faster and faster. Dark energy makes up 68% of the universe’s mass-energy density."
Constellations[]
- Eridanus (1.5x Speed):
"Eridanus, The River, is the longest constellation in the sky. It starts near Rigel and twists and turns all the way to its brightest star, Achernar (“River’s End” in Arabic). It was named after Eridu, an early Sumerian city in the marshes of what is now southern Iraq."
- Perseus (2x Speed):
"With his pointy head and boxy chest, Greek hero Perseus stands by Andromeda, his wife. In mid-August, during Earth’s annual whoosh through the dust of comet Swift-Tuttle, gaze their way at the Perseid meteor shower. It’s visible worldwide but flashiest in the north."
- Serpens (1.5x Speed):
"The long belly of the Serpent is hidden by the grasping hands and body of Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer. Only its tail (left) and V-shaped head emerge, marked by a triangle of bright stars. The Eagle Nebula, visible with a small telescope, nests in the tail."
Achievements[]
- JuMBOs (Rank 3):
"Scientists didn’t think planets could form without a star, but in 2023 they spotted Jupiter-mass binary objects (JuMBOs) in the Orion Nebula. These young orbs often travel in pairs and, being rogue, aren’t classified as planets. Their origin story is yet to be told."
- Busted Cluster (Rank 6):
"Orion’s star cluster is flying apart. Models show that a black hole at the center of Trapezium might be flinging some stars away while drawing others into its lair. Fallen stars will add to its mass until there are no more in range, and the black hole stands alone."
