Crab Nebula Movie:
Space Movie Reveals Shocking Secrets of the Crab Pulsar
The Chandra images in this collage were made over a span of several months (ordered left to right, except for the close-up). They provide a stunning view of the
activity in the inner region around the Crab Nebula
pulsar, a rapidly rotating neutron star seen as a
bright white dot near the center of the images.
A wisp can be seen moving outward at half the speed of
light from the upper right of the inner ring around the
pulsar. The wisp appears to merge with a larger outer
ring that is visible in both X-ray and optical
images.
The inner X-ray ring consists of about two dozen knots
that form, brighten and fade. As a high-speed wind of
matter and antimatter particles from the pulsar plows
into the surrounding nebula, it creates a shock wave
and forms the inner ring. Energetic shocked particles
move outward to brighten the outer ring and produce an
extended X-ray glow.
Enormous electrical voltages generated by the rotating,
highly magnetized neutron star accelerate particles
outward along its equator to produce the pulsar wind.
These pulsar voltages also produce the polar jets seen
spewing X-ray emitting matter and antimatter particles
perpendicular to the rings.
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Fast Facts for Crab
Nebula Movie:
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Credit
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NASA/CXC/ASU/J.Hester et al.
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Scale
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Close up image is 0.8 arcmin, other 7
images are 1.6 arcmin.
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Category
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Supernovas & Supernova Remnants
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Coordinates
(J2000)
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RA 05h 34m 32s | Dec +22º 0.0'
52" |
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Constellation
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Taurus
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Observation
Date
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November 25 & December 18, 2000,
January 9 & 31, 2001, February
21, March 15 & April 6, 2001
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Observation
Time
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45.9 hours total
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Obs.
ID
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1995-2001
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Color
Code
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Intensity
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Instrument
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ACIS
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Reference
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J. Hester et al. 2002 Astrophysical Journal Letters, 577, L49.
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Distance
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6000 light years from Earth
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Release Date
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September 19, 2002
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