---
title: "Pencil Nebula"
url: "https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-2736"
release: "DR1"
licence: "CC-BY-SA-4.0"
citation: "SpaceCatalog. Pencil Nebula [catalogue entry]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-2736"
---

# Pencil Nebula

Pencil Nebula is an H II region in the constellation [Vela](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/vela). Other catalogues list it as NGC 2736. It was discovered in 1835.

## At a glance

- **WHAT IT IS:** H II region
- **HOW BIG ON THE SKY:** 30.0′ — About as wide as the full Moon.
- **WHERE TO LOOK:** [Vela](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/vela) — The patch of sky it sits in, as seen from Earth.

## Properties

| Quantity | Value |
| --- | --- |
| CLASS | H II region |
| CONSTELLATION | Vela |
| RIGHT ASCENSION (J2000) | 09h 00m 16.9s |
| DECLINATION (J2000) | −45° 56′ 53.0″ |
| DISCOVERED | 1835 |

## Catalogue data

### WHERE IT IS AND HOW IT MOVES

Position, motion across the sky and the size it covers on it. These are measurements of the object as seen from here, so every one of them depends on where here is.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Major axis | 30′ |
| Minor axis | 7′ |

### WHEN IT WAS FOUND

Who first saw it, from where, and by what method.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Discovered by | John Frederick William Herschel |

### OTHER NAMES AND NUMBERS

The identifiers other catalogues file this object under, for anyone joining this data to theirs.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| OpenNGC type code | HII |
| Wikidata item | Q840805 |
| Wikipedia article | NGC 2736 |

## Also known as

- Common name: Pencil Nebula
- NGC: NGC 2736

## Source

[OpenNGC](https://github.com/mattiaverga/OpenNGC) — CC-BY-SA-4.0

The producer asks: OpenNGC, Mattia Verga (github.com/mattiaverga/OpenNGC). Fields derived from it stay under CC BY-SA 4.0.

How this was made: https://spacecatalog.org/methods#source-openngc

## Cite this page

SpaceCatalog. Pencil Nebula \[catalogue entry\]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-2736

```bibtex
@misc{spacecatalog_ngc-2736,
  author       = {{SpaceCatalog}},
  title        = {{Pencil Nebula}},
  howpublished = {SpaceCatalog, data release DR1 (2026-08-21)},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-2736},
  note         = {Catalogue entry, data release DR1 (2026-08-21). Values from OpenNGC.}
}
```

OpenNGC — CC-BY-SA-4.0

Acknowledgement the producer asks for: OpenNGC, Mattia Verga (github.com/mattiaverga/OpenNGC). Fields derived from it stay under CC BY-SA 4.0.

The page itself, with its pictures, the sky map and the observing tools: https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-2736