Tour the Crab Nebula

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.

The wind produced by the pulsar shapes the Crab Nebula’s form and pushes fast-moving particles along the magnetic field, forming thin ribbons that flow throughout the nebula’s interior. Toward the nebula’s edges are cavernous filaments of dust and hot gas—now-fractured material that was and continues to be ejected at high speeds. Zooming out reveals the nebula’s unique structure, including areas where the synchrotron emission seems to be pinched.

Webb’s sensitivity, along with the rich data collected by other telescopes, is helping astronomers study this complex and changing scene. This information will lead to an improved understanding of the Crab Nebula’s mysterious origins as well as broaden knowledge about the lives and deaths of stars.