• Key Information

  • Crab Nebula and Pulsar

  • Type
    Supernovae Remnant Nebula and Pulsar
  • Diameter
    11 to 13 light years
  • Distance
    About 6,500 light years
  • Date of Discovery
    1731 (John Bevis)
  • Other Names
    NGC 1952, Taurus A, M1
  • Temperature (of star)
    28,800,000 °F
  • Rotation (of star)
    33 milliseconds
  • Learning Point
  • The Crab Nebula is a nebula formed from the explosion of a supernova that was observed by Chinese astronomers around a thousand years ago. The nebula reveals a lot about how supernovae happen, as well as being the home of a new pulsar star, a form of neutron star..
  • Project
  • Draw your own nebula and a bright neutron star in the middle
  • Location
  • Located in
    Taurus
  • Fun Facts
  • The Crab Nebula was identified as the remnant of SN 1054 by 1939.
  • The Crab Pulsar itself was discovered in 1968 by Dr Susan Jocelyn Bell.
  • Neutron stars can undergo a starquake, which makes the star spin up in speed slightly.
  • A teaspoon of a neutron star material would way 4 billion tons on Earth.