A composite image of the Crab Nebula showing the X-ray (blue), and optical (red) images superimposed. The size of the X-ray image is smaller because the higher energy X-ray emitting electrons radiate away their energy more quickly than the lower energy optically emitting electrons as they move.
Credits
Credits for X-ray Image: NASA/CXC/ASU/J. Hester et al.;Credits for Optical Image: NASA/HST/ASU/J. Hester et al.
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | Crab Nebula, M1, NGC 1952 |
| Object Description | Supernova Remnant |
| R.A. Position | 05h 34m 31.96s |
| Dec. Position | 22° 0' 52.09" |
| Constellation | Taurus |
| Distance | About 6,000 light-years (1,850 parsecs) |
| Dimensions | The image is 2.24 arcminutes across |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | Principal Astronomers: J. Hester and P. Scowen (ASU), C. Michel (Rice U.), J. Graham (UC Berkeley), J. Gallagher (U. of Wisconsin-Madison), A. Watson (UNAM - Morelia), R. Sankrit (JHU) J. Hester (ASU), K. Mori (Penn State U. and Osaka U.), D. Burrows (Penn State Univ.), J. Gallagher (U. of Wisconsin-Madison), J. Graham (UC Berkeley), M. Halverson (U. of Wisconsin-Madison), A. Kader (ASU), F. C. Michel (Rice Univ.) and, P. Scowen (ASU) |
| Instrument | HST>WFPC2 and CXO>ACIS |
| Exposure Dates | April 6, 2001, Exposure Time: 40 minutes (WFPC2), and April 6, 2001, Exposure Time: 6.5 hours (ACIS) |
| Filters | WFPC2 F547M and ACIS-S |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | Blue (X-ray): ACIS-S Red (Optical): WFPC2 F547M |
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object. |
| Object Description | The type of astronomical object. |
| R.A. Position | Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Dec. Position | Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Constellation | One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears. |
| Distance | The physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs. |
| Dimensions | The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description |
|
| Instrument | The science instrument used to produce the data. |
| Exposure Dates | The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time. |
| Filters | The camera filters that were used in the science observations. |
| About The Image | |
| Image Credit | The primary individuals and institutions responsible for the content. |
| Publication Date | The date and time the release content became public. |
| Color Info | A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented. |
| Orientation | The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere. |
