Hubble Snaps a New Dazzling Photo of the Crab Nebula
Nautilus | Science Connected • • science
Key Points:
- In 1054 A.D., Chinese and Mayan astronomers independently recorded a bright celestial event visible during the daytime, later identified as a supernova explosion that formed the Crab Nebula.
- Nearly 900 years later, Edwin Hubble recognized this event as a supernova, and the Hubble Space Telescope has since captured detailed images of the Crab Nebula, with recent photos taken 25 years apart.
- NASA astronomers, including William Blair, have analyzed these images to observe the nebula's evolution, noting that outer gas filaments are moving away from the center at speeds up to 3.4 million miles per hour, driven by a central pulsar.
- The findings highlight that celestial objects like the Crab Nebula are dynamic and continuously expanding, challenging the perception of the sky as static and unchanging.
.jpg%3Fwidth%3D1200%26height%3D630%26fit%3Dcrop%26enable%3Dupscale%26auto%3Dwebp?format=webp&w=120&h=80)
