Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

The Pencil Nebula Supernova Shock Wave

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for February 23, 2024 is “The Pencil Nebula Supernova Shock Wave,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Helge Buesing). The original explanation runs about 157 words.

The Pencil Nebula Supernova Shock Wave
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Helge Buesing Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“This supernova shock wave plows through interstellar space at over 500,000 kilometers per hour. Centered and moving upward in the sharply detailed color composite its thin, bright, braided filaments are actually long ripples in a cosmic sheet of glowing gas seen almost edge-on.”

— APOD editors, February 23, 2024

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
February 23, 2024
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Helge Buesing
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 157 words

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Topics in this entry

NebulaeSupernovae

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: February 23 in other years

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Source

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.