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Remnant of a supernova

Crab Nebula (M1)

The remains of an exploding star (supernova) that Chinese astronomers observed in the year 1054 – visible even in daytime for weeks.

▶ View in the 3D model

Key figures

Distance

about 6,500 light-years

Diameter

about 11 light-years

Explosion observed

in the year 1054

Expansion

about 1,500 km per second

Interesting facts

• In 1054 Chinese astronomers saw a “guest star” that for weeks could be seen even in daytime. Today we know: it was the explosion of this star.
• In the middle spins what is left of the star, a pulsar: a ball the size of a city that rotates 30 times a second.

What is a supernova?

When a very heavy star has used up its fuel, it collapses in on itself and explodes. For a short time it shines brighter than a whole galaxy. Many atoms in our bodies – such as the iron in our blood – were made in explosions like these.

Where is it?

Crab Nebula (M1) belongs to the “The Milky Way” level of the Cosmic Zoom (field of view about 130,000 light-years). Our galaxy: a spiral of 100 to 400 billion stars. The Sun lies in the Orion Arm, 26,000 light-years from the centre. All the neighbouring stars from the previous level are inside the tiny dot at “Sun”.

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