NASA Hubble has released a video of the Pencil Nebula, also known as NGC 2736, a fascinating astronomical object that is a part of the Vela supernova remnant. In the 1840s, Sir John Herschel made the discovery of this nebula.
The Vela supernova remnant spans a vast distance of 114 light-years, equivalent to 35 parsecs. This expansive remnant, the aftermath of a supernova explosion, is situated approximately 815 light-years, or 250 parsecs, away from our solar system.
NASA has shared that this Pencil Nebula formation happened when a star exploded thousands of years ago and is just one part of the huge Vela supernova remnant. This nebula is a remnant of the exploding star.
Although the historical record of this enormous explosion is unavailable, astronomers have computed that the explosion may have occurred approximately 11,000 years ago.
The supernova shock wave strikes thick gas regions where this nebula is highly bright. With a brightness 250 times greater than that of Venus, the Vela supernova would have been plainly visible in the daylight to spectators in the south.
The Hubble Heritage Team and NASA were able to take this amazing picture of the pencil nebula. Since its inception in 1990, NASA has used the Hubble Space Telescope to acquire space photos that have expanded our knowledge of space, from identifying dark energy to figuring out the atmosphere of planets orbiting other stars.
Watch the video here: NASA Hubble
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