M1: The Crab Nebula from Hubble
From NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
This is the mess that is
left when a star explodes. The Crab Nebula, the result of
a supernova seen
in 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, 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.
