M1 The Crab Nebula (LRGB)
The Crab Nebula (Messier 1) is the northern sky's most famous example of a supernova explosion remnant. According to Chinese astronomers, this supernova exploded on July 4, 1054 A.D. The supernova was reportedly visible during daylight hours for 23 days and was observable as a naked eye object at night for 653 days. At the heart of the Crab Nebula is a rapidly spinning neutron star, or pulsar, that emits pulses of radiation at a rate of 30 times per second. The Crab Nebula lies approximately 6300 light years away from Earth in the direction of the constellation of Taurus. Click on the links below to read Rob Gendler's excellent description of the Crab Nebula and to view HST's mosaic of the Crab Nebula.
Image Details
| Target: | M1, NGC 1952 |
| Coordinates (Center - J2000): | RA 05h 34m 32s ; Dec +22d 00m 52s |
| Date: | 12-13 October 2007 |
| Constellation: | Taurus |
| Imaging Location: | Chiefland, Florida |
| Camera: | SBIG ST-8XME & CFW-10 Color Filter Wheel |
| Filters: | Astrodon Series E Tru-Balance LRGB |
| Telescope: | Takahashi TSA-102S 4" APO Triplet f/8 (FL = 814mm) |
| Mount: | Takahashi EM-200 Temma II GEM (12 VDC) |
| Image Scale: | 2.28 arcseconds per pixel |
| CCD Temperature: | -10 C |
| L:R:G:B Exposures: | 80:50:50:50 minutes (L=8x600s / RGB=5x600s each) |
| Mount Control Software: | The Sky 6.0.0.52 |
| Camera Control Software: | CCDSoft 5.00.182 |
| Focus Control Software: | FocusMax 3.3.15 |
| Executive Control Software: | CCD Commander 1.4.5 |
| Sub-frame Registration Software: | Registar |
| Calibration and Combining Software: | CCDStack |
| Final Processing Software: | Photoshop CS |
Additional Information
Description of M1 (By Rob Gendler): http://www.robgendlerastropics.com/M1text.html
Hubble Space Telescope Mosaic of the Crab Nebula: Hubble Space Telescope Mosaic of the Crab Nebula