November 23, 1995
On your birthday, photons that left distant stars before humans walked the Earth finally completed their journey. You began yours.
M1: Polarization of the Crab
Birthday · November 23, 1995
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
Free PNG · 1080 × 1350 · No account needed
Image rights and credit requirements apply when sharing or reusing imagery.
Date & occasion only
Change the year
APOD published November 23, 1995. Credit: AATB, Caltech, David Malin, Jay Pasachoff. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
The Crab Nebula resulted from a star that exploded - a supernova. Although the stellar explosion that caused the Crab Nebula was seen over 900 years ago, the nebula itself still expands and shines. Much of the emitted light has been found to be polarized. Light waves with the same polarization vibrate in the same plane. Light waves can be polarized by reflection from a surface, an effect familiar to sunglass wearing fishermen and skiers. Polarized light can also be emitted by regions that contain strong magnetic fields. Areas of different polarization above are highlighted by different colors. Mapping the polarization helps astronomers decipher which physical processes create the observed light.
Image credit: AATB, Caltech, David Malin, Jay Pasachoff