Chandra :: Photo Album :: Crab Nebula

Crab Nebula
Chandra Discovers X-Ray Ring Around Cosmic Powerhouse in Crab Nebula


Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO
JPEG (33.1 kb)	Tiff (3.5 MB)	PS (6 MB)

The Crab Nebula is the remnant of a supernova explosion that was seen on Earth in 1054 AD. It is 6000 light years from Earth. At the center of the bright nebula is a rapidly spinning neutron star, or pulsar that emits pulses of radiation 30 times a second.

Multi-wavelength Images: (*Images not to scale)
X-ray NASA/CXC/SAO Jpg (133 k) Tiff (3.9 MB) PS (3.4 MB)	Optical Palomar Obs.: Jpg (93 k) Tif (3.6 MB) PS (495 k)	Infrared 2MASS/UMass/IPAC- Caltech/NASA/NSF: Jpg (231 k) Tif (18.7 MB) PS (3.5 MB)	Radio NRAO/AUI/NSF: Jpg (42 k) Tif (1.7 MB) PS (3.6 MB)

Fast Facts for Crab Nebula:
Credit	NASA/CXC/SAO
Scale	Image is 2.5 arcmin on a side.
Category	Supernovas & Supernova Remnants, Neutron Stars/X-ray Binaries
Coordinates (J2000)	RA 05h 34m 32s \| Dec +22� 0.0' 52"
Constellation	Taurus
Observation Dates	August 29, 1999
Observation Time	1 hour
Obs. IDs	168
Color Code	Intensity (Chandra: 0.3-3keV bandwidth)
Instrument	ACIS
Distance Estimate	6,000 light years
Release Date	September 28, 1999

More Information on Crab Nebula:

Press Room: Crab Nebula
More Images of Crab Nebula
Crab Nebula Handout: html | pdf
Crab Nebula in Context
Crab Nebula Story
What do these images tell us?
Constellation: Taurus
Press Room: Crab Nebula Fact Sheet
Download image for your desktop

Other Chandra Releases for Crab Nebula:

Photo Album: Crab Nebula (24 Oct 06)
Photo Album: Crab Nebula (19 Sep 02)

Related Chandra Images:

Photo Album: Vela Pulsar (06 Jun 00)

More Information on Supernovas & Supernova Remnants :

X-ray Astronomy Field Guide: Supernovas & Supernova Remnants
Questions and Answers: Supernovas & Supernova Remnants
Chandra Images: Supernovas & Supernova Remnants

More Information on Neutron Stars/X-ray Binaries :

X-ray Astronomy Field Guide: Neutron Stars/X-ray Binaries
Questions and Answers: Neutron Stars/X-ray Binaries
Chandra Images: Neutron Stars/X-ray Binaries

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Revised: February 07, 2008

Crab Nebula Chandra Discovers X-Ray Ring Around Cosmic Powerhouse in Crab Nebula

Crab Nebula
Chandra Discovers X-Ray Ring Around Cosmic Powerhouse in Crab Nebula