Nebulas

Crab Nebula or M1 or NGC 1952

The Crab Nebula or M1 is the typical result of a starburst or visible residue of the explosion of a supernova. This supernova exploded in 1054, observed by several astronomers of the Far East from July 1054 to April 1056. These mysterious filaments, are not only extremely complex, but seem to have less mass than the original supernova and higher speed than expected. It is situated at a distance of about 2 kilo parsecs is 6300 light years from Earth in the constellation Taurus. The nebula has a diameter of 11 light years and its expansion velocity is 1500 km/s. This is the first astronomical object that has been identified with a supernova explosion. In the center of the nebula is a pulsar, that is to say, a neutron star as massive as the Sun but with only the size of a small town.
The Crab Pulsar rotates on itself at a speed of 30 times per second. It radiates about 200,000 times more energy than the Sun and this in an extremely wide frequency range. A supernova is the visible phenomenon, directly from the cataclysmic explosion of a star that leads to its total destruction and therefore the death of the star. This explosion is accompanied by a gigantic increase its brightness as seen from Earth, which can last several weeks and even months.

It is visible in daylight and at night it can be as bright as the moon and even give a shadow objects. A supernova is therefore often as a new star, whence its name, nova. Supernovae are rare events in our Milky Way, about one to three per century, by cons across the universe, we observe every day. It was during the supernova explosion the star releases its chemical elements synthesized during its existence and after the explosion itself. The shockwave from the supernova favors the formation of new stars accelerating contraction of regions of gas and dust in the interstellar medium. The novae, unlike supernovae are thermonuclear explosions from causing a partial destruction of the star by expelling a portion of its surface into interstellar space.

Image: The Crab Nebula or M1 is the typical result from a star explosion. The death of a star can be mild or severe, depending on its mass.
Picture taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Thor's Helmet Nebula or NGC 2359

This emission nebula in the form of winged helmet suggestive is commonly called The Helmet of Thor. The diameter of a helmet suitable Norse god, is 30 light years. In fact, the helmet is a bubble of interstellar matter, blown by wind energy from the central star is extremely hot, massive and bright, created in the surrounding molecular cloud.
Identified as a Wolf-Rayet star, the central star is a giant star extremely hot.
The stars of Wolf-Rayet stars are rare blue giants which develop stellar winds traveling millions of miles per hour. Interaction with a large molecular cloud close to contribute to complex shapes and structures of curved arches shock of this nebula.
We think she is going through a very brief phase of its evolution prior to its supernova explosion.

Cataloged under number NGC 2359, the nebula is located 15,000 light years away in the constellation Canis Major. This sharp image shows remarkable detail structures in the filaments of the nebula. It also sees the colors of emerald due to emission of oxygen atoms around the luminescent gas.

Image: The emission nebula visible here, is known by the name of Thor's Helmet or NGC 2359 in the constellation Canis Major.
Credit and Copyright: Star Shadows Remote Observatory & PROMPT / UNC (Steve Mazlin, Jack Harvey, Rick Gilbert, and Daniel Verschatse)

Wizard Nebula, or NGC 7380

The image of the wizard nebula (see opposite), published on the popular portal for astronomy APOD (Astronomy Picture Of the Day), was taken by amateur astronomer and photographer Rolf Geissinger. The splendor of the sky is lit by the stars in it and the nearby stars located behind them. Sufficiently strong gravitation of the nebula NGC 7380, triggering the birth of stars at its heart. Stellar winds and radiation of the stars are so powerful that the gas and dust are pushed and create shining on cliffs. Witch of the nebula is located just 8 000 light years, it surrounds the open cluster NGC 7380. The shape of these cliffs cosmic dust between the stars, can evoke the silhouette of a sorcerer medieval, although we could not see the hooded robe, nor the wide belt. However, this region of star formation extends some 100 light years, which land in the sky gives an apparent size slightly larger than the Moon.

Wizard nebula can contemplate with a small telescope, for that you need to point toward the constellation of Cepheus, the King of Ethiopia.

Image: The red color comes from the fire of new stars located in the heart of the nebula NGC 7380 and the Sorcerer. Red is the signature characteristic of ionized atoms of hydrogen.
Image Credit & Copyright: Rolf Geissinger