The Crab Nebula
Posted by Prateek Tripathi on Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The Crab NebulaPosted by Prateek Tripathi on Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The Crab Nebula, the result of a supernova noted by Earth-bound
chroniclers in 1054 A.D., is filled with mysterious filaments that are
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 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. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, J. Hester, A. Loll (ASU)
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