Astronomy Picture of the Day 7-14-02

NASA ^ | 7-14-02 | Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell

[petuniasevan]

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2002 July 14

The Crab Nebula from VLT
Credit: FORS Team, 8.2-meter VLT, ESO

Explanation: The Crab Nebula, filled with mysterious filaments, is the result of a star that was seen to explode in 1054 AD. This spectacular supernova explosion was recorded by Chinese and (quite probably) Anasazi Indian astronomers. The filaments are mysterious because they appear to have less mass than expelled in the original supernova and higher speed than expected from a free explosion. In the above picture taken recently from a Very Large Telescope, the color indicates what is happening to the electrons in different parts of the Crab Nebula. Red indicates the electrons are recombining with protons to form neutral hydrogen, while blue indicates the electrons are whirling around the magnetic field of the inner nebula. In the nebula's very center lies a pulsar: a neutron star rotating, in this case, 30 times a second.

[MeekOneGOP]

That was the other photo I liked a lot on that link. I almost posted it. Thanks!

[BMCDA]

Dang! I must have 'em. With just 10 of them Euros pp they should be affordable.
Mmmmmm... that'll look nice on my walls