Cosmic Scale
Crab Nebula
Supernova remnant · 6,500 light-years
How big is Crab Nebula?
Crab Nebula is about 11.0 light-years across.
See Crab Nebula in 3D, at true scale
The Crab Nebula is the wreckage of a star that exploded in AD 1054, bright enough to be seen in daylight for three weeks and recorded by Chinese and Japanese astronomers. At its centre a neutron star spins 30 times a second.
At a glance
| Diameter | 11.0 light-years |
|---|---|
| Diameter compared with Earth | 8.2 × 10⁹ × Earth |
| Distance | 6,500 light-years |
| Supernova seen | AD 1054 |
| Pulsar spin | 30 times a second |
| Expansion | 1,500 km/s |
Good to know
- It was the first object in Charles Messier's famous catalogue — M1 — which he started to avoid confusing such things with comets.
- The pulsar at its heart powers the whole nebula's eerie blue glow.
- It is still visibly expanding: images decades apart show the difference.
- Next smaller: Helix Nebula · 5.74 light-years
- Next larger: Orion Nebula · 24.0 light-years