At the same instant the walls of the great mill burst asunder, a nebulous mass of burning gas shot heavenward, and then the flames settled down to complete the destruction of the ruin.

The classical astronomer Ptolemy called it "the nebulous mass in the breast of Cancer," and it was among the first objects that Galileo studied with his telescope.

Ptolemy described the Beehive Cluster as "the nebulous mass in the breast of Cancer."

Volyova followed the same path, watching the nebulous mass of the shredded planet fall beneath the sharp horizon of the hull.

The earth was once a nebulous mass.

In the background were faint stars and nebulous masses of light, too distant to be resolved into separate stars-a true representation of the actual sky.

The nebulous masses of light were approached, became composed of faint stars, which developed as had the others, and were passed.

The blue nebulous mass moved closer and closer.

On January 27, C. Todd recorded seeing the comet's head as a "diffused nebulous mass", but noted a break between the head and the tail (possibly representing what is referred to as a tail disconnection event).

This nebulous mass was absolutely stirless, .