Astronomy Picture of the Day · March 21, 2013

NGC 2736: The Pencil Nebula

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for March 21, 2013 is “NGC 2736: The Pencil Nebula,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Martin Pugh). The original explanation runs about 153 words.

From the explanation

“Moving left to right near the center of this beautifully detailed color composite, the thin, bright, braided filaments are actually long ripples in a sheet of glowing gas seen almost edge on. The interstellar shock wave plows through space at over 500,000 kilometers per hour.”

— APOD editors, March 21, 2013

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: March 21, 2013
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Martin Pugh
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 153 words

All of March 2013 → · 2013 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Nebulae

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: March 21 in other years

On Amazon

Popular picks for space fans

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Electronics Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition 32GB Read astronomy and space-history books anywhere. View on Amazon → Electronics Bose QuietComfort Wireless Headphones Noise-cancelling headphones for documentaries and launch livestreams. View on Amazon →

Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, March 21, 2013 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2013-march-21-ngc-2736-the-pencil-nebula

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.