Expansion of Crab Nebula (M1)

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Waaay back in 1054, a star in the constellation Tauras exploded in a dramatic fashion. The remnant of that massive explosion (supernova) is what we now call the Crab Nebula.

But as a result of the explosion, the nebula is still expanding at a rate of over 1,000 kilometers per second. The above gif comparing the nebula in 1950 vs what it was in 1990 is one of the most epic ways to illustrate that fact.

 

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