The Crab Nebula is what remains of a supernova explosion in the Taurus constellation, located 6,500 light-years away.
Astronomers in China, Japan, and the Middle East first discovered a “crab” in the night sky in 1054, recording observations of what they believed to be a new star. It was later determined that this phenomenon was actually the light from a supernova explosion that had reached Earth.
Crab Nebula through the James Webb Telescope. (Image: NASA).
Historical evidence of the supernova explosion is extremely rare, which is why this nebula has garnered so much interest.
Although the Crab Nebula has been observed for a long time, modern astronomers still have questions about the dead star and the chemical composition in the glowing clouds it created.
The Crab Nebula has been observed by other telescopes, including the Hubble Space Telescope. However, the capabilities of the James Webb Telescope in observing the universe through infrared light, which is invisible to the naked eye, have penetrated the dust layers of the nebula to reveal previously unseen features.
Researchers have utilized the near-infrared camera and mid-infrared instrument of the James Webb Telescope to study the Crab Nebula in order to gain a deeper understanding of its origins.
“The sensitivity of the James Webb Telescope and its spatial resolution allow us to accurately identify the composition of the emitted materials, especially iron and nickel, which could reveal details about the type of explosion that created the Crab Nebula,” stated astronomer Tea Temim from Princeton University in New Jersey in a statement.
Astronomers will continue to analyze data from the James Webb Telescope and compare it with data collected from other telescopes. These observations may help them rewind time to decode what happened before the star that formed the Crab Nebula exploded.
