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Astronomy Picture of the Day - The Pencil Nebula Supernova Shock Wave
NASA ^ | 23 Feb, 2024 | Image Credit & Copyright: Helge Buesing

Posted on 02/23/2024 1:50:43 PM PST by MtnClimber

Explanation: This supernova shock wave plows through interstellar space at over 500,000 kilometers per hour. Centered and moving upward in the sharply detailed color composite its thin, bright, braided filaments are actually long ripples in a cosmic sheet of glowing gas seen almost edge-on. Discovered in the 1840s by Sir John Herschel, the narrow-looking nebula is sometimes known as Herschel's Ray. Cataloged as NGC 2736, its pointed appearance suggests its modern popular name, the Pencil Nebula. The Pencil Nebula is about 800 light-years away. Nearly 5 light-years long it represents only a small part of the Vela supernova remnant though. The enormous Vela remnant itself is around 100 light-years in diameter, the expanding debris cloud of a star that was seen to explode about 11,000 years ago. Initially, the section of the shock wave seen as the Pencil nebula was moving at millions of kilometers per hour but has slowed considerably, sweeping up surrounding interstellar material.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; nasa
To be added or removed from the Astronomy Picture of the Day ping list please send me a request via "Private Reply" (Mail).

For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

1 posted on 02/23/2024 1:50:43 PM PST by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 02/23/2024 1:51:02 PM PST by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page. More photos added.)
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To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; abb; AFB-XYZ; AFPhys; Agatsu77; America_Right; ...
Pinging the APOD list.

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔


3 posted on 02/23/2024 1:51:36 PM PST by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page. More photos added.)
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To: MtnClimber

Is this going to knock out internet and cell phones too?


4 posted on 02/23/2024 1:53:37 PM PST by NWFree (Sigma male 🤪)
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To: NWFree

One day...


5 posted on 02/23/2024 1:57:44 PM PST by Hatteras
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To: MtnClimber

I once saw John Wick kill three men in a bar ... with a nebula supernova shock wave.


6 posted on 02/23/2024 2:01:14 PM PST by ClearCase_guy
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To: NWFree
Is this going to knock out internet and cell phones too?

Only if they're through AT&T. Heh.

7 posted on 02/23/2024 2:29:06 PM PST by AFB-XYZ (Two options: 1) Stand up, or 2) Bend over)
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To: MtnClimber

Wow.


8 posted on 02/23/2024 2:36:33 PM PST by No name given (Anonymous is who you’ll know me as)
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To: NWFree

And perhaps the electric grid. Don’t be alarmed folks, we have our backup generators and windmills and solar panels.


9 posted on 02/23/2024 4:05:34 PM PST by 353FMG
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