Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Crab Nebula

This odd-looking nebula is the remnant of a supernova that lit the skies in 1054 and was recorded by Chinese and Arab astronomers. A modest smudge in a small telescope, the beauty of this object lies in the imagination… you are seeing the remnant of the most massive explosions in the galaxy, a supernova that seeded the interstellar medium with heavy elements, some of which will find their way into new stars and planets over the coming billions of years. Find the Crab Nebula (or Messier 1) just off the prominent star zeta Tauri (see below).



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