Astronomy Picture of the Day - M1: The Crab Nebula

NASA ^ | 29 Dec, 2025 | Image Credit & Copyright: Alan Chen

[MtnClimber]

Explanation: This is the mess that is left when a star explodes. The Crab Nebula, the result of a supernova seen in 1054 AD, is filled with mysterious filaments. The filaments are not only tremendously complex but appear to have less mass than expelled in the original supernova and a higher speed than expected from a free explosion. The featured image was taken by an amateur astronomer in Leesburg, Florida, USA over three nights last month. It was captured in three primary colors but with extra detail provided by specific emission by hydrogen gas. The Crab Nebula spans about 10 light years. In the Nebula's very center lies a pulsar: a neutron star as massive as the Sun but with only the size of a small town. The Crab Pulsar rotates about 30 times each second.

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TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; nasa

[MtnClimber]

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For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

[MtnClimber]

[MtnClimber]

Pinging the APOD list

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[ComputerGuy]

Can it walk sideways?

[Diogenesis]

[DannyTN]

It’s the Pincer nebula that worries me.

[Deaf and Discerning]

Looks like a bisection of my brain while I’m reading FreeRepublic.

[telescope115]

It’s hard to imagine the dynamics of such an explosion leading to such a complex looking structure.

[Nateman]

Before your typical star blows itself up it has already blown off much matter back into space. When it does explode everything flung out catches up and bumps into previous expelled matter.