Crab Nebula

views updated May 29 2018

Crab Nebula Nebula located c.6500 light years away in the constellation of Taurus. It is the remnant of a supernova noted by Chinese astronomers in July 1054, when it shone as brightly as Venus, visible even in daylight. The nebula was discovered in 1731 by the English astronomer John Bevis, and independently by Charles Messier in 1758.