December 25, 2011
The cosmos is full of spectacular things: ringed planets, exploding suns, rivers of stars across the night.
M1: The Crab Nebula from Hubble
Birthday · December 25, 2011
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APOD published December 25, 2011. Full image credits are on the original APOD entry below. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
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 above image, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, is presented in three colors chosen for scientific interest. 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. Best Short Astronomy Videos: APOD editor to speak in New York City on Friday, January 6