spiral nebula

With their heads in a spiral nebula of billions, Congressmen were treated to a floor show which brought the question of budgets down to its simplest terms.

From Time Magazine Archive

The entire underside of the dome looked like space as seen from the Hubble telescope: A dusty spiral nebula billowed up, a galaxy of stars twinkled, and meteorites whizzed across the ceiling.

From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein

Whereas, next to the star itself, the spiral nebula is the type object which occurs most frequently.

From Astronomy: The Science of the Heavenly Bodies by David Peck Todd

Henry with three hours' exposure, November 16, 1885, showed one of the brightest of them to have a small spiral nebula, somewhat resembling a strongly-curved comet's tail, attached to it.

From A Popular History of Astronomy During the Nineteenth Century Fourth Edition by Agnes M. (Agnes Mary) Clerke

If the collision is a grazing one, they say, a spiral nebula will be formed.

From Popular Science Monthly Oct, Nov, Dec, 1915 — Volume 86 by Anonymous