Astr110 Photography Projects, Fall 2005

Crab Nebula, Brian Haan

The Crab Nebula is one of the most familiar and recognizable objects in our sky. and because it was born here in our own Milky Way galaxy, its closeness combined with its brightness proves it to be truly amazing.. The Crab Nebula was created in a supernova explosion and consists now mostly of gas. Its beautiful color array transcends from a magnetic field deep within itself from a nuetron star is named the Crab Pulsar. The Crab Nebula was first recorded nearly a millenium ago by Chinese philosophers in 1054 AD. It can be found close to the "Southern Horn" of the Bull and can easily be seen as a dim patch with binoculars. It is located about 6.3 thousand lightyears away. Today, it is one of the most studied objects in the sky. It is said that two classes can be equally divided; Those whos work is related to the Crab Nebula and those who do not. (SEDS)

The image above was taken on November 5, 2005 in Rehobeth, New Mexico. When viewed through a telescope, its fabulous colors and grand detail is breathtaking. If looked at closely, it has amazingly bright streaks travelling throught out itself which shows the shifting magnetic field. Its center has a visual brightness of 8.4 (mag) and slowly grows dimmer as you reach the outer edges. The linear size of the Crab Nebula is about 13 light years. When compared to other images, the Crab Nebula is stunning with its beautiful colors and detail.

References:
Messier 1

Crab Nebula