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Credit & Copyright: NASA:
X-ray: Chandra (CXC),
Optical: Hubble (STScI),
Infrared: Spitzer (JPL-Caltech)
Explanation:
At the core of the
Crab Nebula lies a city-sized, magnetized
neutron star spinning 30 times a second.
Known as the
Crab Pulsar, it is the bright spot
in the center of the gaseous swirl at the nebula's core.
About twelve light-years across, the spectacular picture frames
the glowing gas, cavities and swirling filaments near the
Crab Nebula's center.
The featured picture combines
visible light
from the
Hubble Space Telescope in purple,
X-ray light from the
Chandra X-ray Observatory in blue,
and infrared light from the
Spitzer Space Telescope in red.
Like a
cosmic
dynamo the Crab pulsar powers the
emission from the nebula, driving a
shock wave through surrounding
material and accelerating the spiraling electrons.
With more mass than
the Sun
and the density of an atomic nucleus,the
spinning pulsar
is the collapsed core of a massive star that
exploded.
The outer parts of the Crab Nebula are the expanding
remnants of the star's component gasses.
The supernova explosion was witnessed on planet Earth in
the year 1054.
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NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Crab Nebula - pulsar
Publications with words: Crab Nebula - pulsar
See also: