Media Information
 
 
 
Collection:
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection
Title:
The Crab Nebula from VLT
Explanation:
The Crab Nebula, filled with mysterious filaments, is the result of a star that was seen to explode in 1054 AD. This spectacular supernova [ http://imagine.gsfc…] explosion was recorded by Chinese and (quite probably) Anasazi Indian [ http://www.co.blm.g…] astronomers. The filaments are mysterious because they appear to have less mass than expelled in the original supernova and higher speed than expected from a free explosion. In the above picture taken recently from a Very Large Telescope [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…ap990309.html ], the color indicates what is happening to the electrons [ http://www-istp.gsf…] in differentparts of the Crab Nebula. Red indicates the electrons are recombining with protons to form neutral hydrogen, while blue indicates the electrons are whirling around the magnetic field of the inner nebula. In the nebula [ http://apod.gsfc.na…nebula ]'s very center lies a pulsar: a neutron star rotating, in this case, 30 times a second.
Credit and Copyright:
FORS Team [ http://www.eso.org/…], 8.2-meter VLT [ http://www.eso.org/…], ESO [ http://www.eso.org/]
facet_when:
1054
facet_where:
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_where:
Washington, D.C.
facet_what:
ESO
facet_what:
VLT
facet_what:
Very Large Telescope
facet_what:
nebula
facet_when_year:
1054
original url:
http://antwrp.gsfc.…
UID:
SPD-APOD-ap030914

The Crab Nebula from VLT
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