The Crab Nebula is one of the most interesting objects located not so far from the Solar System, at least by cosmic standards. The Crab Nebula has long been the subject of attention from astronomers: in 1731, it was observed by John Bevis, and in 1758, it was rediscovered by Charles Messier, who initially mistook it for a comet but then discovered that it did not move against the background of the stars. Messier began compiling a catalog of nebulae so that they would not distract comet hunters, and the Crab Nebula was entered into this catalog under number 1. The name “Crab” was given to it by William Parsons in 1844: it seemed to him that he saw branches resembling crab claws. But four years later, observing the nebula with a much better telescope, Parsons realized that there was no resemblance to a crab, but the name had already stuck.
And in 1921, astronomers discovered that the Crab Nebula was gradually increasing in size over time! We also took photographs of the nebula taken in 1950 and 2000, aligned them with fixed stars, and found that over 50 years, the distances between characteristic elements had increased by about 5%. This means that the nebula originated quite recently, about a thousand years ago. Indeed, in 1054, Chinese astronomers observed the brightest star in the morning sky in the constellation Taurus for almost a month, comparable in brightness to Venus. And it is in the constellation Taurus that the Crab Nebula is located! This led to the assumption that the Crab Nebula was formed as a result of a giant cosmic explosion—a supernova.
To learn how the spectrum of the nebula was used to determine its size and distance, and what amazing object remained at the site of the supernova after its explosion, watch our English-language video “Crab Nebula's space mysteries”! Watch, reflect with us, and don't forget to like!
Thank you for your interest in our work! If you like what we do, please support our Patreon channel: patreon.com/GetAClass_eng
GetAClass - Physics
The Crab Nebula is one of the most interesting objects located not so far from the Solar System, at least by cosmic standards. The Crab Nebula has long been the subject of attention from astronomers: in 1731, it was observed by John Bevis, and in 1758, it was rediscovered by Charles Messier, who initially mistook it for a comet but then discovered that it did not move against the background of the stars. Messier began compiling a catalog of nebulae so that they would not distract comet hunters, and the Crab Nebula was entered into this catalog under number 1. The name “Crab” was given to it by William Parsons in 1844: it seemed to him that he saw branches resembling crab claws. But four years later, observing the nebula with a much better telescope, Parsons realized that there was no resemblance to a crab, but the name had already stuck.
And in 1921, astronomers discovered that the Crab Nebula was gradually increasing in size over time! We also took photographs of the nebula taken in 1950 and 2000, aligned them with fixed stars, and found that over 50 years, the distances between characteristic elements had increased by about 5%. This means that the nebula originated quite recently, about a thousand years ago. Indeed, in 1054, Chinese astronomers observed the brightest star in the morning sky in the constellation Taurus for almost a month, comparable in brightness to Venus. And it is in the constellation Taurus that the Crab Nebula is located! This led to the assumption that the Crab Nebula was formed as a result of a giant cosmic explosion—a supernova.
To learn how the spectrum of the nebula was used to determine its size and distance, and what amazing object remained at the site of the supernova after its explosion, watch our English-language video “Crab Nebula's space mysteries”! Watch, reflect with us, and don't forget to like!
Thank you for your interest in our work! If you like what we do, please support our Patreon channel: patreon.com/GetAClass_eng
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 5