ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile Takes New Image of the Pencil Nebula

Posted on September 29, 2012

ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile has taken a colorful new image of the Pencil Nebula. The nebula, also known as NGC 2736, is part of the Vela supernova remnant from a supernova that took place about 11,000 years ago. The structure is also sometimes referred to as resembling a witch's broom.

It is about 0.75 light-years across. The blue regions are dominated by ionized gas atoms and are the hottest regions of the gas cloud. The red regions indicate hydrogen emissions. You can see a larger version of the nebula image here. Take a look:

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