An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A small part of the → Vela supernova remnant with a narrow appearance. The Pencil Nebula measures about 0.75 → light-years across,
is about 5 light-years long, and lies about 800 light-years from Earth. It is moving through the → interstellar medium at about 650 000 kilometres per hour.

See also: → pencil; → nebula.