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M1

Messier 1
Crab Nebula
Supernova Remnant
Right Ascension 05h 34m 30s Best Seen 1/1-4/15
Declination 22° 01' 00" Magnitude 8.4
Constellation Taurus

Actual		 Compared
to ...
Distance ~6,300 ly --
Diameter ~5-10 ly --
Actual Brightness of central star -- 1000 (Sun)
Magnitude of central star --
Spectral Type of central star -- G2 V (Sun)
Surface Temperature of star -- --
Age ~1000 years
Density (gram/cubic cm) -- --

What To Look For Through The Telescope

  1. Recommended eyepiece: 40mm or 80mm

  2. When people look through the telescope they should see a fuzzy, irregularly shaped patch of light. If they are having trouble seeing it, have them look at a star near the edge of the field, then look back to the center out of the corner of their eye.

  3. The view through the telescope will not look like photographs of the Crab Nebula. A photograph may have an exposure of many hours. This long exposure brings out the nebula's details. Our eyes allow the light to collect for only about 1/30 of a second before they refresh themselves and start over again.

M1 "Crab Nebula" Information

  1. The center of Crab Nebula contains a pulsar -- a rotating neutron star that emits pulses of light at a rate of 30 per second.

  2. The supernova explosion which caused the Crab Nebula was recorded by Chinese astronomers as having first appeared in July of 1054 A.D. It was bright enough to be seen in the day time for 23 days, and remained visible in the night sky for nearly 2 years.

  3. The Anasazi Native Americans may have recorded it in their art.

  4. The supernova was, for a few weeks, as bright as 400 million suns.

  5. The nebula was discovered in 1731 by British amateur astronomer John Bevis.

  6. This nebula is called the “Crab Nebula” based on a drawing made by Lord Rosse in 1844.

  7. The nebula is still expanding at about 1,100 miles per second.

  8. The amount of X-rays emitted by the nebula is about 100 times more than that emitted in visual light.
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References
Item Updated Notes
Coordinates 2002-12-19 from http://messier.seds.org/m/m001.html
Magnitude 2002-12-19 from SEDS site
Distance 2002-12-19
Diameter 2002-12-19 from SEDS site
Actual Brightness 2002-12-19 from SEDS site
Age 2002-12-19 from SEDS site
Other Information 2002-12-19 from SEDS site