The Crab Nebula in Blue and White
Explanation:
The Crab Nebula is a complex shell of expanding gas.
The
Crab Nebula formed from a
star that was seen to explode in a
supernova about 1000 years ago.
This two color composite image taken with the
WIYN 3.5-meter telescope shows in great
detail filamentary structure of the glowing
hydrogen gas.
Also known as
M1, the center is home to a dense
neutron star, a star as massive as our
Sun but only the size of a
city.
The
neutron star is a
pulsar that spins thirty times a second and spits out
energy that powers the nebula.
The
nebula
is named from its likeness to a
crab in an early drawing.
The
Crab Nebula still
presents mysteries today as the total mass of the
nebula and
pulsar appears much less than the mass of the original
pre-supernova star!
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
