M1 Supernova Remnant

Have you ever seen the remains of a star in its old age? If not, take out your scope on a clear night and point it towards the constellation Taurus.
UPDATED JUN 26, 2024
messier 1 the crab nebula in taurus
messier 1 the crab nebula in taurus

Have you ever seen the remains of a star in its old age? If not, take out your scope on a clear night and point it towards the constellation Taurus. Locate the 2nd-magnitude star Zeta Tauri, and from here move your telescope one-degree northwest. M1, the famous Crab Nebula will be right in the center of your eyepiece’s field.

The nebula is all that is left of a supernova that erupted nearly one thousand years ago. Ancient Chinese records indicate that the supernova exploded on July 4, 1054. For several weeks it shone far brighter than Venus and was even visible in daylight. This spectacular event was also recorded by Anasazi Indians, in pictographs on the rock walls of canyons in Navaho and White Mesa (Arizona).

M1 got its strange name on the ground of a drawing made by Lord Rosse in 1844, using a 36-inch reflector. The nebula is a challenging object for small telescopes, and you need a lot of imagination to see something similar to Rosse’s drawing. It appears as an elliptical 8th-magnitude hazy patch at low magnification. Higher magnifications start to show some detail in its shape, with some suggestion of mottled or streak structure in the inner part of the nebula.

It is very important that you observe this object from a location with dark skies. If you are observing from the city, the nebula will be difficult because it is diffuse and its surface brightness is low.

MORE STORIES

The magnetic fields of the early universe only had enough strength to be compared to the magnetism of neurons in the human brain.
15 hours ago
These stellar remnants, capable of traveling over 2,000 kilometers per second, are now believed to be the high-speed survivors of a rare type of supernova explosion.
1 day ago
'This advances our understanding of accretion physics, a field central to unraveling black hole behavior and galaxy evolution,' explained a scientist.
5 days ago
This new James Webb image focuses on the centre of the Butterfly Nebula and its dusty torus, giving us a view of its complex structure.
7 days ago
This cosmic web filament is reported to have a thickness of 2.6 to 3.3 million light years.
Aug 27, 2025
Hayabusa2’s Ryugu samples provide insights into Earth’s early water, organic materials, and the beginnings of life.
Aug 26, 2025
According to a new model, the death of stars and their collapse into black holes might be a key mechanism for generating dark energy.
Aug 24, 2025
A rare gravitational lensing event, dubbed an 'accidental double zoom' by astronomers, allowed for a breakthrough observation of the distant quasar RXJ1131-1231.
Aug 22, 2025
'This event quite literally looks like nothing anyone has ever seen before,' shared a senior author on the study.
Aug 22, 2025
Quasars are celestial powerhouses with supermassive black holes at the hearts of galaxies that are furiously devouring matter.
Aug 21, 2025