The Pencil Nebula (NGC 2736), a brilliant filamentary structure in the Vela Supernova Remnant, is a striking testament to the power of a stellar explosion that occurred nearly 11,000 years ago. Situated 800 light-years away in the constellation Vela, this nebula is a fragment of the vast shockwave created when a massive star met its violent demise in a supernova.

Captured in a combined LRGB and SHO palette, this image unveils the intricate layers of ionized gas sculpted by the expanding remnant:

• LRGB (Luminance, Red, Green, Blue) brings out the natural star colors and depth, emphasizing the nebula’s place within the galactic starfield.

• Sulfur-II (SII) in deep reds and oranges reveals cooler, ionized gas pockets shaped by the passage of the shockwave.

• Hydrogen-alpha (Hα) in golden yellows highlights the vast, ionized filaments weaving through the nebula.

• Oxygen-III (OIII) in striking blue-greens traces the hotter, high-energy regions, marking areas where the supernova's blast wave continues to excite the surrounding interstellar medium.

Spanning nearly 5 light-years across, the Pencil Nebula moves at an astonishing speed of 650,000 km/h (400,000 mph) as it carves through space. The sharply defined, curving filaments contrast against more diffuse, wispy structures, a visual representation of the turbulent forces at play in this cosmic relic.

This multi-channel imaging approach reveals the nebula’s complex structure in unprecedented detail, showcasing the raw power of stellar death and the ongoing interactions that shape the interstellar medium. Over millennia, the nebula will continue to fade, dispersing its enriched materials into space, seeding the next generation of stars in a never-ending cycle of cosmic evolution.