![](\"http:\/\/cyber.law.harvard.edu\/blogs\/static\/dowbrigade\/crabneb.jpg\")
The Hubble Space Telescope has caught
\n the most detailed view of the Crab Nebula, revealing the intricate epitaph
\n of a long-dead star.<\/p>\n
The nebula spans a patch of space six light-years across and has proved
\n an attractive target for professional and amateur astronomers alike. One
\n light-year is the distance light travels in one year, about 5.8 trillion
\n miles (9.7 trillion kilometers).<\/p>\n
Wispy filaments, primarily of hydrogen, weave through the Crab Nebula,
\n at the center of which sits a neutron star that spins 30 times per second.<\/p>\n
The only fixed remains of the supernova explosion – the rest of the original
\n star stuff has blown outward – the neutron star acts as a beacon, spitting
\n twin beams of radiation from its poles as it rotates.<\/p>\n
The dense, city-sized object powers the Crab Nebula’s
\n bluish glow, which is generated by electrons that follow the neutron
\n star’s magnetic field lines, astronomers said. The elemental composition
\n of the nebula can be picked apart by color, with blue areas indicating
\n neutral oxygen, green regions showing singly ionized sulfur and red portions
\n denoting doubly ionized oxygen, they added.<\/p>\n
from Space.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Hubble Space Telescope has caught the most detailed view of the Crab Nebula, revealing the intricate epitaph of a long-dead star. The nebula spans a patch of space six light-years across and has proved an attractive target for professional … Continue reading