| "The sky is the ultimate art gallery just above us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 82) |
Astrophotography by Jason Jennings |
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| Nebulae :: NGC2736 - Pencil Nebula | |
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| Resolutions Available: 800x800 : 1300x1300 : 2000x2000 | |
| Object | Pencil Nebula |
| Comment |
Located within the constellation Vela is NGC2736, regularly referred to as Herschel's Ray or the Pencil Nebula. It is the result of a supernova shock wave ploughing through interstellar space at 500,000 kilometres per hour. This shock wave forms part of the Vela supernova remnant, an expanding shell of gas originated from a star that violently exploded approximately 11,000 years ago. Initially the shock wave was moving at millions of kilometres per hour, but the weight of all the gas has slowed it considerably, revealing interesting folds of nebulosity as presented in this image. William Herschel first discovered the nebula in 1835, noting it as a faint long narrow nebular streak in a rich star field which perhaps suggests its name as the Pencil Nebula. The nebula is 800 light-years distant. This image is a [Ha+L]R[Ha+GB] composite. Lightbuckets 16" RCOS. |
| Optics | RCOS 16" F/8.4 (3360 mm FL) |
| Camera | Apogee Alta U9000 - 1x1 bin (image scale .74 arcsec/pix) |
| Mount | Paramount ME |
| Exposure |
Total exposure time: 8.5 hours (Ha:150min,L:120min,RGB:80min each) |
| Date | February 2010 |