« A Mirror That Only Reflects If You Smile | Main | Stacking the Core Stage of the Space Launch System for Artemis I »

Monday, June 21, 2021

CONTINUITY: Expansion of the Crab Nebula (M1) Over 69 Years

The Crab Nebula (Messier 1) in Taurus is the remnant of SN 1054, a supernova which exploded on July 4th (!), 1054, and was observed and recorded by Chinese astronomers. Almost a millennium later, its expansion remains visible in photos taken over time. This video compares images of the Crab Nebula taken in 1951 and 2020 which clearly show the expansion. Here is a one-decade time lapse, in colour, assembled from images taken between 2008 and 2017, showing finer details of the expansion.

Posted at June 21, 2021 12:23