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.
This animation shows the progress of 7 years of expansion. The expansion is more apparent when comparing the nebulous tendrils against the stars. There is also a star to the upper right of M1 that shows proper motion due to its proximity to us. A spectacular 110 year version of this is presented
here2017:
Scope: AT10RCT @ f/5.6
Reducer: CCDT67
Camera: QSI690-wsg8
Guide Camera: Starlight Xpress Ultrastar
Mount: Mach1 GTO
L: synthetic from RGB: 25x5min total
Software: SGP, PHD2, APCC, Pixinsight
2.1 hrs total exposure
2010:
Scope: AT8RC @ f/6.4
Reducer: AT0.8x
Camera: ST8300M
Guide Camera: Starfish Fishcamp
Mount: Atlas EQ-G
L: 12x3min (2x2 bin)
Software: Equinox Image, PHD2, Pixinsight
36 min total exposure
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