A nebula with a majestic composition of elements and gases. Crab Nebula image taken by JWST and Hubble Space Telescope revealing the details in infrared light(electromagnetic waves) MIRI and NIRCam.

Crab Nebula

A supernova remanent present 6500 light years away in constellation Taurus. <ol><li>Doubly Ionsized Sulphur - red-orange</li><li>Ionized Iron - blue</li><li>Dust - yellow-white, green</li><li>Synchrotron emission - white</li></ol>

Composition and Position

Crab Nebula consists of a Pulsar present in the center. A pulsar is a rotating neutron star(dense star made of neutrons) with a jet stream of gas and dust. In the above image there is red line(pulsar), orange line(magnetic field),blue line(synchrotron emission).Synchrotron emission is a electromagnetic radiation produced by charged particles(electrons) emitted in the presence of magnetic field, when the acceleration is perpendicular to the velocity (a, v). Electrons are pushed outwards the pulsar because of the acclearation of the particles of pulsar.

A Real Surprise? 

Using Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument), a team led by Tea Temim at Princeton University is searching for answers about the Crab Nebula’s origins.

James Webb Space Telescope Instruments

<h3>NASA Webb Telescope Team</h3><div>Oct 30, 2023</div><div>Article</div>Exquisite, never-before-seen details help unravel the supernova remnant’s puzzling history.NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has gazed at the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant located 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Taurus. Since the recording of this energetic event in 1054 CE by 11th-century astronomers, the Crab Nebula has continued to draw attention and additional study as scientists seek to understand the conditions, behavior, and after-effects of supernovae through thorough study of the Crab, a relatively nearby example.<h2>Image: Crab Nebula</h2><figure><img width="712" height="620" src="https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/webb-stsci-01hbbmj8r6htxp5w1evej24d64.jpg?w=2000" alt="The Crab Nebula. An oval nebula with complex structure against a black background. On the nebula’s exterior, particularly at the top left and bottom left, lie curtains of glowing red and orange fluffy material. Its interior shell shows large-scale loops of mottled filaments of yellow-white and green, studded with clumps and knots. Translucent thin ribbons of smoky white lie within the remnant’s interior, brightest toward its center. The white material follows different directions throughout, including sometimes sharply curving away from certain regions within the remnant. A faint, wispy ring of white material encircles the very center of the nebula. Around and within the supernova remnant are many points of blue, red, and yellow light." srcset="https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/webb-stsci-01hbbmj8r6htxp5w1evej24d64.jpg 2000w, https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/webb-stsci-01hbbmj8r6htxp5w1evej24d64.jpg?resize=300, https://www.nasa.gov/missions/webb/the-crab-nebula-seen-in-new-light-by-nasas-webb/261 300w, https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/webb-stsci-01hbbmj8r6htxp5w1evej24d64.jpg?resize=768, https://www.nasa.gov/missions/webb/the-crab-nebula-seen-in-new-light-by-nasas-webb/669 768w, https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/webb-stsci-01hbbmj8r6htxp5w1evej24d64.jpg?resize=1024, https://www.nasa.gov/missions/webb/the-crab-nebula-seen-in-new-light-by-nasas-webb/892 1024w, https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/webb-stsci-01hbbmj8r6htxp5w1evej24d64.jpg?resize=1536, https://www.nasa.gov/missions/webb/the-crab-nebula-seen-in-new-light-by-nasas-webb/1338 1536w, https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/webb-stsci-01hbbmj8r6htxp5w1evej24d64.jpg?resize=400, https://www.nasa.gov/missions/webb/the-crab-nebula-seen-in-new-light-by-nasas-webb/348 400w, https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/webb-stsci-01hbbmj8r6htxp5w1evej24d64.jpg?resize=600, https://www.nasa.gov/missions/webb/the-crab-nebula-seen-in-new-light-by-nasas-webb/523 600w, https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/webb-stsci-01hbbmj8r6htxp5w1evej24d64.jpg?resize=900, https://www.nasa.gov/missions/webb/the-crab-nebula-seen-in-new-light-by-nasas-webb/784 900w, https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/webb-stsci-01hbbmj8r6htxp5w1evej24d64.jpg?resize=1200, https://www.nasa.gov/missions/webb/the-crab-nebula-seen-in-new-light-by-nasas-webb/1045 1200w"></figure><div class="caption">This image by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) reveals new details in infrared light. The supernova remnant is comprised of several different components, including doubly ionized sulfur (represented in red-orange), ionized iron (blue), dust (yellow-white and green), and synchrotron emission (white). In this image, colors were assigned to different filters from Webb’s NIRCam and MIRI: blue (F162M), light blue (F480M), cyan (F560W), green (F1130W), orange (F1800W), and red (F2100W). </div><div>: Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, T. Temim (Princeton University).</div>Using Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument), a team led by Tea Temim at Princeton University is searching for answers about the Crab Nebula’s origins.“Webb’s sensitivity and spatial resolution allow us to accurately determine the composition of the ejected material, particularly the content of iron and nickel, which may reveal what type of explosion produced the Crab Nebula,” explained Temim.<h2>Image: Webb and Hubble</h2><figure><img width="712" height="309" src="https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/webb-stsci-01hbxsysvq1cpe1sj5v0n507yt-2k.jpg?w=2000" alt="A side-by-side-comparison of the Crab Nebula as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope in optical light (left) and the James Webb Space Telescope in infrared light (right). In both images, the oval nebula’s complex structure lies against a black background. On the nebula’s exterior, particularly at the top left and bottom left, lie curtains of glowing red and orange fluffy material. Interior to this outer shell lie large-scale loops of mottled filaments of yellow-white and green, studded with clumps and knots. In the Hubble image, the central interior of the nebula glows brightly, while the Webb image shows translucent thin ribbons of smoky white in the same area. Around and within the supernova remnant are many points of blue-white light in the Hubble image, and blue, red, and yellow light in the Webb image." srcset="https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/webb-stsci-01hbxsysvq1cpe1sj5v0n507yt-2k.jpg 2000w, https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/webb-stsci-01hbxsysvq1cpe1sj5v0n507yt-2k.jpg?resize=300, https://www.nasa.gov/missions/webb/the-crab-nebula-seen-in-new-light-by-nasas-webb/130 300w, https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/webb-stsci-01hbxsysvq1cpe1sj5v0n507yt-2k.jpg?resize=768, https://www.nasa.gov/missions/webb/the-crab-nebula-seen-in-new-light-by-nasas-webb/334 768w, https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/webb-stsci-01hbxsysvq1cpe1sj5v0n507yt-2k.jpg?resize=1024, https://www.nasa.gov/missions/webb/the-crab-nebula-seen-in-new-light-by-nasas-webb/445 1024w, https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/webb-stsci-01hbxsysvq1cpe1sj5v0n507yt-2k.jpg?resize=1536, https://www.nasa.gov/missions/webb/the-crab-nebula-seen-in-new-light-by-nasas-webb/667 1536w, https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/webb-stsci-01hbxsysvq1cpe1sj5v0n507yt-2k.jpg?resize=400, https://www.nasa.gov/missions/webb/the-crab-nebula-seen-in-new-light-by-nasas-webb/174 400w, https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/webb-stsci-01hbxsysvq1cpe1sj5v0n507yt-2k.jpg?resize=600, https://www.nasa.gov/missions/webb/the-crab-nebula-seen-in-new-light-by-nasas-webb/261 600w, https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/webb-stsci-01hbxsysvq1cpe1sj5v0n507yt-2k.jpg?resize=900, https://www.nasa.gov/missions/webb/the-crab-nebula-seen-in-new-light-by-nasas-webb/391 900w, https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/webb-stsci-01hbxsysvq1cpe1sj5v0n507yt-2k.jpg?resize=1200, https://www.nasa.gov/missions/webb/the-crab-nebula-seen-in-new-light-by-nasas-webb/521 1200w"></figure><div class="caption">This side-by-side comparison of the Crab Nebula as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope in optical light (left) and the James Webb Space Telescope in infrared light (right) reveals different details. By studying the recently collected Webb data, and consulting previous observations of the Crab taken by other telescopes like Hubble, astronomers can build a more comprehensive understanding of this mysterious supernova remnant.</div><div>: Hubble Image: NASA, ESA, J. Hester, A. Loll (Arizona State University); Webb Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, T. Temim (Princeton University).</div>At first glance, the general shape of the supernova remnant is similar to the <a href="https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/images/3885-Image" rel="noopener" dir="ltr">optical wavelength image released in 2005 from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope</a>: In Webb’s infrared observation, a crisp, cage-like structure of fluffy gaseous filaments are shown in red-orange. However, in the central regions, emission from dust grains (yellow-white and green) is mapped out by Webb for the first time.Additional aspects of the inner workings of the Crab Nebula become more prominent and are seen in greater detail in the infrared light captured by Webb. In particular, Webb highlights what is known as synchrotron radiation: emission produced from charged particles, like electrons, moving around magnetic field lines at relativistic speeds. The radiation appears here as milky smoke-like material throughout the majority of the Crab Nebula’s interior.This feature is a product of the nebula’s pulsar, a rapidly rotating neutron star. The pulsar’s strong magnetic field accelerates particles to extremely high speeds and causes them to emit radiation as they wind around magnetic field lines. Though emitted across the electromagnetic spectrum, the synchrotron radiation is seen in unprecedented detail with Webb’s NIRCam instrument.<h2>Video: Tour of Webb Image</h2><video class="vjs-tech" data-setup="{&quot;controls&quot;:true,&quot;loop&quot;:true,&quot;preload&quot;:&quot;metadata&quot;,&quot;plugins&quot;:{&quot;mux&quot;:{&quot;debug&quot;:false,&quot;data&quot;:{&quot;env_key&quot;:&quot;91nns8oppqdfqc44lgo4b1gni&quot;,&quot;player_name&quot;:&quot;www.nasa.gov Player&quot;,&quot;video_name&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/stsci-01hds6ms28654g87ycphj804wb.mp4&quot;}}}}" tabindex="-1" preload="metadata" loop=""><source src="https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/stsci-01hds6ms28654g87ycphj804wb.mp4" type="video/mp4"></video><div data-setup="{&quot;controls&quot;:true,&quot;loop&quot;:true,&quot;preload&quot;:&quot;metadata&quot;,&quot;plugins&quot;:{&quot;mux&quot;:{&quot;debug&quot;:false,&quot;data&quot;:{&quot;env_key&quot;:&quot;91nns8oppqdfqc44lgo4b1gni&quot;,&quot;player_name&quot;:&quot;www.nasa.gov Player&quot;,&quot;video_name&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/stsci-01hds6ms28654g87ycphj804wb.mp4&quot;}}}}" tabindex="-1" lang="en-us" translate="no" role="region" aria-label="Video Player"><button type="button" title="Play Video" aria-disabled="false">Play Video</button></div><div dir="ltr">This video tours the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant that lies 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Taurus. Despite this distance from Earth, the Crab Nebula is a relatively close example of what remains after the explosive death of a massive star. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captures in unprecedented detail the various components that comprise the Crab, including the expanding cloud of hot gas, cavernous filaments of dust, and synchrotron emission. The synchrotron emission is the result of the nebula’s pulsar: a rapidly rotating neutron star that is located in the center. CREDIT: NASA, ESA, CSA, and D. Kirshenblat (STScI)
</div>To locate the Crab Nebula’s pulsar heart, trace the wisps that follow a circular ripple-like pattern in the middle to the bright white dot in the center. Farther out from the core, follow the thin white ribbons of the radiation. The curvy wisps are closely grouped together, outlining the structure of the pulsar’s magnetic field, which sculpts and shapes the nebula.At center left and right, the white material curves sharply inward from the filamentary dust cage’s edges and goes toward the neutron star’s location, as if the waist of the nebula is pinched. This abrupt slimming may be caused by the confinement of the supernova wind’s expansion by a belt of dense gas.The wind produced by the pulsar heart continues to push the shell of gas and dust outward at a rapid pace. Among the remnant’s interior, yellow-white and green mottled filaments form large-scale loop-like structures, which represent areas where dust grains reside.The search for answers about the Crab Nebula’s past continues as astronomers further analyze the Webb data and consult previous observations of the remnant taken by <a href="https://viewspace.org/interactives/unveiling_invisible_universe/star_death/crab_nebula" rel="noopener" dir="ltr">other telescopes</a>. Scientists will have newer Hubble data to review within the next year or so from the telescope’s reimaging of the supernova remnant. This will mark Hubble’s first look at emission lines from the Crab Nebula in over 20 years, and will enable astronomers to more accurately compare Webb and Hubble’s findings.<h2>Learn More: Crab Nebula</h2>Want to learn more? Through NASA’s Universe of Learning, part of NASA’s Science Activation program, explore images of the Crab Nebula from other telescopes, a 3D visualization, data sonification, and hands-on activities. These resources and more information about supernova remnants and star lifecycles can be found at <a href="https://universe-of-learning.org/about-us/in-the-news/crab-nebula.html" rel="noopener" dir="ltr">NASA’s Universe of Learning</a>.The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency.NASA’s Universe of Learning materials are based upon work supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AC65A to the Space Telescope Science Institute, working in partnership with Caltech/IPAC, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard &amp; Smithsonian, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory.<h2>Media Contacts</h2>Laura&nbsp;Betz – <a href="mailto:laura.e.betz@nasa.gov" dir="ltr">laura.e.betz@nasa.gov</a> NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.Hannah Braun – <a href="mailto:hbraun@stsci.edu" rel="noreferrer noopener" dir="ltr">hbraun@stsci.edu</a> , Christine Pulliam – <a href="mailto:cpulliam@stsci.edi" dir="ltr">cpulliam@stsci.edi</a> Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.

This is a great overview to actually think how we are so small and vulnerable in the universe plus the intersecting details of space Telescope and universe which is present in the Taurus constellation. 

Exquisite, never-before-seen details help unravel the supernova remnant’s puzzling history.

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Science Fiction

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Science & Nature

Exquisite, never-before-seen details help unravel the supernova remnant’s puzzling history.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has gazed at the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant located 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Taurus. Since the recording of this energetic event in 1054 CE by 11th-century astronomers, the Crab Nebula has continued to draw attention and additional study as scientists seek to understand the conditions, behavior, and after-effects of supernovae through thorough study of the Crab, a relatively nearby example.

Using Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument), a team led by Tea Temim at Princeton University is searching for answers about the Crab Nebula’s origins.

“Webb’s sensitivity and spatial resolution allow us to accurately determine the composition of the ejected material, particularly the content of iron and nickel, which may reveal what type of explosion produced the Crab Nebula,” explained Temim.

At first glance, the general shape of the supernova remnant is similar to the <a href="https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/images/3885-Image">optical wavelength image released in 2005 from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope </a>: In Webb’s infrared observation, a crisp, cage-like structure of fluffy gaseous filaments are shown in red-orange. However, in the central regions, emission from dust grains (yellow-white and green) is mapped out by Webb for the first time.

Additional aspects of the inner workings of the Crab Nebula become more prominent and are seen in greater detail in the infrared light captured by Webb. In particular, Webb highlights what is known as synchrotron radiation: emission produced from charged particles, like electrons, moving around magnetic field lines at relativistic speeds. The radiation appears here as milky smoke-like material throughout the majority of the Crab Nebula’s interior.

This feature is a product of the nebula’s pulsar, a rapidly rotating neutron star. The pulsar’s strong magnetic field accelerates particles to extremely high speeds and causes them to emit radiation as they wind around magnetic field lines. Though emitted across the electromagnetic spectrum, the synchrotron radiation is seen in unprecedented detail with Webb’s NIRCam instrument.

To locate the Crab Nebula’s pulsar heart, trace the wisps that follow a circular ripple-like pattern in the middle to the bright white dot in the center. Farther out from the core, follow the thin white ribbons of the radiation. The curvy wisps are closely grouped together, outlining the structure of the pulsar’s magnetic field, which sculpts and shapes the nebula.

At center left and right, the white material curves sharply inward from the filamentary dust cage’s edges and goes toward the neutron star’s location, as if the waist of the nebula is pinched. This abrupt slimming may be caused by the confinement of the supernova wind’s expansion by a belt of dense gas.

The wind produced by the pulsar heart continues to push the shell of gas and dust outward at a rapid pace. Among the remnant’s interior, yellow-white and green mottled filaments form large-scale loop-like structures, which represent areas where dust grains reside.

The search for answers about the Crab Nebula’s past continues as astronomers further analyze the Webb data and consult previous observations of the remnant taken by <a href="https://viewspace.org/interactives/unveiling_invisible_universe/star_death/crab_nebula">other telescopes </a>. Scientists will have newer Hubble data to review within the next year or so from the telescope’s reimaging of the supernova remnant. This will mark Hubble’s first look at emission lines from the Crab Nebula in over 20 years, and will enable astronomers to more accurately compare Webb and Hubble’s findings.

Want to learn more? Through NASA’s Universe of Learning, part of NASA’s Science Activation program, explore images of the Crab Nebula from other telescopes, a 3D visualization, data sonification, and hands-on activities. These resources and more information about supernova remnants and star lifecycles can be found at <a href="https://universe-of-learning.org/about-us/in-the-news/crab-nebula.html">NASA’s Universe of Learning </a>.

The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency.

NASA’s Universe of Learning materials are based upon work supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AC65A to the Space Telescope Science Institute, working in partnership with Caltech/IPAC, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Laura Betz – <a href="mailto:laura.e.betz@nasa.gov">laura.e.betz@nasa.gov </a> NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

Hannah Braun – <a href="mailto:hbraun@stsci.edu">hbraun@stsci.edu </a>, Christine Pulliam – <a href="mailto:cpulliam@stsci.edi">cpulliam@stsci.edi </a> Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.

The Crab Nebula Seen in New Light by NASA’s Webb - NASA

Crab Nebula

Composition and Position

A Real Surprise?

James Webb Space Telescope Instruments

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