Nasas James Webb Space Telescope has recently captured unprecedented images of the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant first recorded by Japanese and Chinese astronomers nearly 1,000 years ago. These new images reveal exquisite details, helping scientists unravel the nebula’s complex history.
The nebula, which is also known as M1 or the Crab Nebula, is located 6,500 light-years away from Earth. Its most visible feature is a translucent network of red and orange filaments. These filaments are made of dust grains and glow in various colors depending on their chemical composition. The filaments are pulled by the stellar wind, a stream of charged particles from a dying star that blows through surrounding gas and dust. The nebula center is powered by a neutron star, a dense, rapidly rotating object that emits radiation every 30 seconds. The star’s magnetic field concentrates the light emitted by the pulsar, creating the characteristic glowing searchlight-like beams that give the nebula its name.
Astronomers have used many telescopes to study the nebula, including its close relative, the Hubble Space Telescope. Still, it is only with Webb that researchers have been able to pick out the finer details. Using its ability to see the universe in infrared light, Webb penetrates the dusty clouds that blanket the nebula and reveals previously hidden features. Allison Loll of Arizona State University used the telescope to detect northwest-southeast asymmetry in the filaments, which she attributes to the sideways motion of the neutron star. She also spotted long, finger-like structures that extend outward from the central object and traces of oxygen and sulfur gases.
In the new image, astronomers have also used the Webb telescopes near- and mid-infrared cameras to reveal details of the nebula’s interior. The glowing filaments are elongated compared to their earlier versions and glow in various colors. The central bright spot is a new observation that shows the location of the star’s inner core, where it collapsed and exploded.
Webb’s high-resolution image reveals many other details that will help scientists probe the nebula’s past. It shows how the explosion sparked a tumultuous series of events that shaped and warped its structure. In addition, the telescope’s ultraviolet instruments reveal a glowing cloud of hydrogen gas within the nebula.
To find the Crab Nebula, astronomers can draw an imaginary line from the star Betelgeuse in Orion to Capella in Auriga. Then, backtrack a third of the way to Betelgeuse and locate the faint star Zeta Tauri. Zeta Tauri is about a degree from the star Beta Tauri, which marks the border between Orion and Auriga. This star is about a fourth of the size of our Sun and has a relatively weak glow. Astronomers believe it exploded about 1,000 years ago, generating the Crab Nebula and its signature six-spiked shape. For more information about the Webb telescope and NASA science, visit the Universe of Learning, a site for teachers and students that includes 3D visualizations, data sonification, and hands-on activities.
