Celestial Objects
Crab Nebula
Supernova Remnant
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The Crab Nebula (Messier 1) is a supernova remnant about 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Taurus, formed by a stellar explosion that Chinese astronomers recorded as a guest star visible in the daytime sky for weeks in the year 1054; a rapidly spinning neutron star, a pulsar, now sits at its heart.
Facts
Discovery YearYear of the supernova explosion recorded by Chinese astronomers, which formed the nebula. Sources
1. HubbleSite
Space Telescope Science Institute, for NASA and ESAscience.nasa.gov, Hubble Messier Catalog: Messier 1Quote, science.nasa.gov, Hubble Messier Catalog: Messier 1
The neutron star, like a lighthouse, ejects twin beams of radiation that make it appear to pulse 30 times per second as it rotates.
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