NGC 2736
Encyclopedia
NGC 2736 is called The Pencil Nebula. It is part of the Vela Supernova Remnant
, located near the Vela Pulsar
in the constellation
Vela
. The nebula's linear appearance triggered its popular name. It resides about 815 light-years (250 parsecs) away from our solar system
. It is thought to formed from part of the shock wave of the larger Vela Supernova Remnant. The Pencil Nebula
is moving at roughly 644,000 kilometers per hour (400,000 miles per hour).
discovered this object at the Cape of Good Hope
and described it as "eeF, L, vvmE; an extraordinary long narrow ray of excessively feeble light; position 19 ±. At least 20' long, extending much beyond the limits of the field...". This agrees perfectly with the ESO- Uppsala listing N2736 = E260-N14, a nebula with dimensions 30'x7', position angle of 20 and notes "Luminous filament". Harold Corwin adds that on the ESO IIIa-F film this nebula is the brightest patch of a huge supernova remnant (Gum Nebula) whose delicate whips cover the field. A relatively bright star is immersed in N2736 (mentioned by Herschel).http://www.ngcic.org/papers/rngc5.htm
Vela Supernova Remnant
The Vela supernova remnant is a supernova remnant in the southern constellation Vela. Its source supernova exploded approximately 11,000-12,300 years ago...
, located near the Vela Pulsar
Vela Pulsar
The Vela Pulsar is a radio, optical, X-ray and gamma-emitting pulsar associated with Vela Supernova Remnant, in the constellation of Vela.- Supernova origins :...
in the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
Vela
Vela (constellation)
Vela is a constellation in the southern sky. Its name is Latin for the sails of a ship, and it was originally part of a larger constellation, the ship Argo Navis, which was later divided into three parts, the others being Carina and Puppis.-Stars:...
. The nebula's linear appearance triggered its popular name. It resides about 815 light-years (250 parsecs) away from our solar system
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
. It is thought to formed from part of the shock wave of the larger Vela Supernova Remnant. The Pencil Nebula
Nebula
A nebula is an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen gas, helium gas and other ionized gases...
is moving at roughly 644,000 kilometers per hour (400,000 miles per hour).
History
On 1 March 1835, John HerschelJohn Herschel
Sir John Frederick William Herschel, 1st Baronet KH, FRS ,was an English mathematician, astronomer, chemist, and experimental photographer/inventor, who in some years also did valuable botanical work...
discovered this object at the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
and described it as "eeF, L, vvmE; an extraordinary long narrow ray of excessively feeble light; position 19 ±. At least 20' long, extending much beyond the limits of the field...". This agrees perfectly with the ESO- Uppsala listing N2736 = E260-N14, a nebula with dimensions 30'x7', position angle of 20 and notes "Luminous filament". Harold Corwin adds that on the ESO IIIa-F film this nebula is the brightest patch of a huge supernova remnant (Gum Nebula) whose delicate whips cover the field. A relatively bright star is immersed in N2736 (mentioned by Herschel).http://www.ngcic.org/papers/rngc5.htm