M1 Crab Nebula
The Crab Nebula is a supernova remnant, the leftover of a star that was seen exploding in the year 1054.
Composite image taken by Hubble Space Telescope
Facts About M1 Crab Nebula:
- Remnant of supernova SN 1054, observed by Arab, Chinese and Japanese astronomers. The supernova was daytime-visible and the brightest object after the Moon. It was naked-eye visible for about 2 years.
- The most studied astronomical object outside the Solar System - hugely important because its age is known almost to the day.
- Diameter 11 ly, expanding at 1,500 km/s.
- Located in the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way.
- The pulsar at the center of the nebula is a neutron star 30 km across, spinning at 30x per second, emitting pulses of radiation from radio waves to gamma rays.
- The filaments are remnants of the star's atmosphere, and consist largely of ionised helium and hydrogen, along with some other heavier elements.
Classification: Supernova Remnant
Names: Crab Nebula, M1, NGC 1952, Taurus A, Sharpless 244
Constellation: TaurusDistance: 6.15e+16 km (6500 ly)
Discovered: 1731 by John Bevis. Recognized as a supernova remnant in the 20th century.
Naming: The Earl of Rosse made a drawing in 1848 that looked like a crab.
Magnitude: 8.4000 (app) -3.1000 (abs)