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X-Raying a Crab
Featured on January 7, 2019
A multiwavelength image shows the Crab Nebula, the remains of an exploded star that appears near the tip of one of the horns of Taurus, the bull. In X-rays (shown in blue and white), the Crab is one of the brightest objects in the sky. Shockwaves from the expanding debris from the explosion heat gas and dust, causing them to emit X-rays. More X-rays come from electrons spiraling through the magnetic field generated by the star’s dead core. In this image, visible wavelengths are shown in purple, with infrared in pink. [NASA]
