M1 (The Crab Nebula), dnault42

M1 (The Crab Nebula)

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M1 (The Crab Nebula)

The Crab Nebula is a supernova remnant located about 6,500 light years away in the constellation Taurus. In the year 1054, astronomers in Japan, China and Arabia noted a star so bright it could be seen during the day. This historical information has allowed astronomers to better understand the processes involved in supernova such as M1. The progenitor star is thought to have been very massive, somewhere between 9 and 11 times as massive as the Sun. It's explosion left not only the nebular remnant, but also a pulsar, which emits strong pulses of radio and gamma waves.

This image is a composite of luminance and h-alpha data collected over 5 nights, totaling over 10 hours of exposure time.

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M1 (The Crab Nebula), dnault42