© Josep M. Drudis-2016, Mount Lemmon Sky Center, AZ, USA.
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M1, also named the Crab Nebula is one of the most famous and imaged supernova remnants in the sky. It is the still expanding remains of a supernova explosion that happened in 1054 and was first recorded by Chinese astronomers. In the center of the remains, there is a pulsar (rotating faster than 30 times per second…). The bright supernova (it was visible in plain daylight for more than three weeks!) was also recorded in petroglyphs made by the Anasazi in Arizona and New Mexico. The central pulsar is highly energetic (emitting light with a brightness higher than 1,000 suns) and the diffuse blue color that is seen in the inner core of the nebula is produced by synchrotron radiation.
Additional Information
Object
Name(s): M1, NGC 1952, Crab Nebula
Type: Supernova Remnant
RA: 05h 34m 29s
Dec: +22º 00’ 54”
Constellation: Taurus
Size (arcmin): 6×4
Magnitude: +8.4
Distance: 6,200 ly
Image
Date:
Location: Sky Center, Mount Lemmon, AZ, USA
Size (arcmin): 13×13
Telescope: Schulman, 32″ f/6.7
Camera: SBIG STX16803 (4096x4096pix)
Guiding: Astrodon MonsterMOAG off-axis guider
Total exposure: 14 hours (Halpha: 9 hs; RGB: 5hs, composition: Synthetic Lum (from RGB) blending Halpha with L and R)
Processing: CCDStack, Photoshop CC 2016 and PixInsight