Astronomy Picture of the Day · June 9, 2003

The Pencil Nebula Supernova Shockwave

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for June 9, 2003 is “The Pencil Nebula Supernova Shockwave,” an image. It is credited to Credit: Hubble Heritage Team ( STScI / AURA ), W. Blair ( JHU ) & D. Malin ( David Malin Images ), NASA. The original explanation runs about 128 words.

From the explanation

“At 500,000 kilometers per hour, a supernova shockwave plows through interstellar space. This shockwave is known as the Pencil Nebula , or NGC 2736, and is part of the Vela supernova remnant , an expanding shell of a star that exploded about 11,000 years ago.”

— APOD editors, June 9, 2003

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: June 9, 2003
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Hubble Heritage Team ( STScI / AURA ), W. Blair ( JHU ) & D. Malin ( David Malin Images ), NASA
Copyright: No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 128 words

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Topics in this entry

Nebulae Supernovae

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: June 9 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, June 9, 2003 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2003-june-9-the-pencil-nebula-supernova-shockwave

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.