Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Taurus (Tau)  ·  Contains:  Crab nebula  ·  M 1  ·  NGC 1952  ·  Sh2-244
Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
The Crab Nebula, Gabe Shaughnessy
Powered byPixInsight

The Crab Nebula

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
The Crab Nebula, Gabe Shaughnessy
Powered byPixInsight

The Crab Nebula

Equipment

Loading...

Acquisition details

Loading...

Description

The Crab Nebula is a supernova remnant that lies some 6500 light years away in the constellation Taurus. The nebula was discovered in 1731 and has the 1054 supernova event recorded by Chinese astronomers as it's progenitor. At the heart of the nebula is the Crab Pulsar, which is a neutron star some 18 miles across and spins 30 revolutions per second. It emits very bright pulses of electromagnetic radiation from gamma rays on down to low energy radio waves. It's one of the brightest sources of high energy photons in the sky. The inner portion of the Crab Nebula has been shown to continue to expand, driven by the persistent pulsar wind.

Comments

Sky plot

Sky plot

Histogram

The Crab Nebula, Gabe Shaughnessy

In these collections

Nebulae