Deep sky · Supernova remnant in Taurus · M 1 · NGC 1952
M 1
Crab Nebula
The wreckage of a star Chinese astronomers watched explode on 4 July 1054 — visible in daylight for 23 days.
- Type
- Supernova remnant
- Designations
- M 1 · NGC 1952
- Constellation
- Taurus
- Apparent magnitude
- 8.4
- Apparent size
- 8′ × 4′
- Position (J2000)
- RA 5h 35m · Dec +22° 01′
History
It is the first entry in Charles Messier’s catalogue: in 1758 he mistook it for a comet and started his list so that nobody else would.
Science
At its heart spins a neutron star, the collapsed core, turning thirty times a second and sweeping a beam past Earth like a lighthouse.