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> The Crab nebula (M1) in Taurus

The Crab nebula (M1) in Taurus

author: R.Jay GaBany/Novapix

reference: a-snv11-00508

Image Size 300 DPI: 13 * 10 cm

M1, the Crab Nebula, is a supernova remnant from a star that exploded in 1054 AD and was witnessed and described by Chinese astronomers as being six times brighter than Venus. The supernova, located in the constellation of Taurus and about 7,000 light years away from the Earth, shined with the light of 400 million suns, was visible in the daytime for almost a month, and remained visible in the evening sky for more than a year. Today, some 900 years later, we see the remains of the exploded star as a cloud of gaseous debris, illuminated by the remnants of the core of the original star, which is now a rapidly spinning neutron star called a pulsar.

Keywords for this photo:

2005 - ASTRONOMY - CRAB - EVOLUTION - M1 - NGC 1952 - STAR - SUPERNOVA - SUPERNOVA REMNANT - TAURUS -