Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Taurus (Tau)  ·  Contains:  M 1  ·  NGC 1952
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M1, the Crab Nebula, Gary Steffens
M1, the Crab Nebula
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M1, the Crab Nebula

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
M1, the Crab Nebula, Gary Steffens
M1, the Crab Nebula
Powered byPixInsight

M1, the Crab Nebula

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Description

The Crab Nebula is a supernova remnant. The star at its center experienced a tremendous supernova in which it blew off a significant percentage of it's mass. The nova was so bright the Chinese astronomers recorded seeing a "guest star" in AD 1054 that was as bright as Venus, being visible even during the day. It remained visible for about 23 days. The nebulosity we see today is the material blown off the star. The stellar remnant is what is called a neutron star. It is about the size of Earth and spins about 30 times per second!
The name, Crab Nebula, came from a drawing of the nebula in 1844 using the 36" Rosse reflector telescope at Birr Castle. The drawing resembled a horseshoe crab and hence the name.

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M1, the Crab Nebula, Gary Steffens

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Nebulae