Astronomers Zoom Into Pencil Nebula, 4800 Trillion Miles Away

The Pencil Nebula, also known to astronomers as NGC 2736, was first discovered in 1835 residing in the southern constellation of Vela. Located approximately 800 light years from Earth, the glowing cloud of gas is debris left by a supernova explosion about 11,000 years ago, according to astronomers. While it appears from Earth to float motionless in space, the nebula, about 7 trillion kilometres across, is streaking througn space at about 650, 000 kilometres per hour. These latest images are amongst the...