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Crab Nebula

A supernova remnant and pulsar wind nebula in Taurus, linked to a supernova observed in AD 1054.

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Crab Nebula

via Wikipedia: Crab Nebula · see source

Located in the constellation Taurus, the Crab Nebula is both a supernova remnant and a pulsar wind nebula.[1] This nebula holds the distinction of being the first celestial object linked to a supernova that was recorded by historical observers.[2]

Key facts and history

Charles Messier independently rediscovered it in 1758 while searching for a comet, which led him to compile his catalogue of comet-like objects.[3][4] William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, made a drawing of the nebula in 1842 or 1843 that resembled a crab, giving it its common name.[1][5] Tracing the expansion back linked the nebula to the 1054 supernova.[6] The Crab Pulsar was discovered in 1968, proving that pulsars are rotating neutron stars.[7]

In 1989, the nebula was the first object confirmed to emit very-high-energy gamma rays.[8] English astronomer John Bevis first spotted the nebula in 1731.[1] In 1921, Carl Lampland reported structural changes in the nebula, and John Charles Duncan showed it was expanding.[9][10]

What the research sources say

Ridpath states that the first written record of Rosse using the name "Crab nebula" is in his observing notes for 1848 November 29.[5] The Chandra X-ray Observatory website states the Crab Nebula is located about 6,500 light years from Earth.[11] The Hubblesite account notes that observations of the nebula date back to 1054 A.D., when Chinese astronomers recorded seeing a "guest star" during the daytime for 23 days.[12]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Crab Nebula" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ridpath, "Lord Rosse and the Crab Nebula", Star Tales (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Crab Nebula" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Garner, "Messier 1 (The Crab Nebula)", NASA, 6 October 2017 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Crab Nebula" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Barrow, "Cosmic Imagery: Key Images in the History of Science", Random House, 2008, p. 45; Barrow, "Cosmic Imagery: Key Images in the History of Science", Random House, 2008, p. 45; Barrow, "Cosmic Imagery: Key Images in the History of Science", Random House, 2008, p. 45 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Crab Nebula" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Pugh, "Observing the Messier Objects with a Small Telescope: In the Footsteps of a Great Observer", Springer Science, November 2011, p. 8–10 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Ridpath, "Lord Rosse and the Crab Nebula", Star Tales. facts only, no text reused. ianridpath.com
  6. Wikipedia, "Crab Nebula" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mayall, "The Crab Nebula, a Probable Supernova", Astronomical Society of the Pacific Leaflets, 1939, p. 145; Leverington, "A History of Astronomy: from 1890 to the Present", Springer Science & Business Media, 2012, p. 197; Lundmark, "Suspected New Stars Recorded in Old Chronicles and Among Recent Meridian Observations", Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 1921, p. 225–238 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Crab Nebula" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lovelace, "Pulsar NP 0532 Near Crab Nebula", International Astronomical Union Circular, November 1968, p. 1; Comella, "Crab Nebula Pulsar NP 0532", Nature, February 1969, p. 453–454 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Crab Nebula" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gibbs, "The application of imaging to the atmospheric Cerenkov technique: Observations of the Crab Nebula", The University of Arizona, 1987; Weekes, "Observation of TeV Gamma Rays from the Crab Nebula Using the Atmospheric Cerenkov Imaging Technique", Astrophysical Journal, 1989, p. 379 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Crab Nebula" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lampland, "Observed Changes in the Structure of the "Crab" Nebula (N. G. C. 1952)", Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 1921, p. 79–84; Katgert-Merkelijn, "A short biography of Jan Hendrik Oort: 7. Crab Nebula", Leiden University Library, 2000 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Crab Nebula" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lampland, "Observed Changes in the Structure of the "Crab" Nebula (N. G. C. 1952)", Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 1921, p. 79–84; Duncan, "Changes Observed in the Crab Nebula in Taurus", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 1921, p. 179–181; Lundmark, "Suspected New Stars Recorded in Old Chronicles and Among Recent Meridian Observations", Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 1921, p. 225–238; Srinivasan, "Stellar Remnants", Springer Science, 1997, p. 108 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. "X-RAY UNIVERSE :: Make a Pulsar: Crab Nebula in 3D", chandra.cfa.harvard.edu. facts only, no text reused. chandra.cfa.harvard.edu
  12. "Crab Nebula", Hubblesite, 27 October 2016. facts only, no text reused. hubblesite.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Crab Nebula (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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