"In the constellation Taurus, the remnant of a supernova explosion marks the death of a high-mass star. The beautiful Crab Nebula is 10 light years across and still growing. Working backward from its rate of expansion, the year of the star’s death was 1054."
In 1054, Chinese astronomers noted the sudden presence of a “guest star” much brighter than Sirius. Visible in daylight for 23 days, it soon vanished. In 1731, a telescope revealed a shiny smudge in the same spot. In 1844, a detailed sketch led to the name Crab Nebula.
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Heavy Metals
The Crab’s original star was a hefty 10 solar masses, but only 1% of the cloudy matter remains. It’s unusually rich in heavy metals—iron, nickel, and others that once formed the core. Swiftly moving filaments of ionized gas spread the metals throughout the nebula.
Guest Star
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Supernova 1987A
A supernova is likely to explode in the Milky Way in your lifetime—about one every 50 years on average. On February 23, 1987, just beyond our galaxy, a blue supergiant shattered into a “pearl necklace” ring. The hot remnant core could be an infant neutron star.
Crab Nebula Rank 3
Messier 1
The Crab Nebula is M1, the first of 110 Messier objects. Comet hunter Charles Messier (1730–1817) made this list to rule out non-comets that he discovered: nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies. The Crab’s modern designation is NGC 1952, short for New General Catalogue.
Crab Nebula Rank 6
Trivia[]
Image of the Crab Nebula
Crab Nebula (catalogue designations M1, NGC 1952, Taurus A) is a supernova remnant and pulsar wind nebula in the constellation of Taurus.