The Hubble Telescope is peering deep into the core of the Crab Nebula. It recently caught sight of the dramatic remains of an exploding star – the beating hard of one of the most intensively studied supernova.
The Crab Nebula has a neutron star at the very centre and has a mass that is almost the same as that of the sun. Spinning approximately 30 times per second, the neutron star is an incredibly dense sphere that is only a few miles across.
The Hubble snapshot is centered on the region around the neutron star, surrounded by filamentary debris. Hubble’s sharp view captures the intricate details of glowing gas, shown in red, that forms a swirling medley of cavities and filaments.
“The neutron star is a showcase for extreme physical processes and unimaginable cosmic violence. Bright wisps are moving outward from the neutron star at half the speed of light to form an expanding ring”, NASA adds.