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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae / M1

Crab Nebula (M1) Observation Details

M1

M1 Daily Motion

M1 will rise before twilight begins, at 16:43, and will reach 67° elevation by the time twilight commences at 22:54. It will reach its transit at 72° by 00:01 and gradually fade away as the night ends at 06:46, maintaining an elevation of around 6°.
M1 will be visible until April, 26, when it will move too close to the Sun. During this time, its proximity to the Sun will cause it to disappear from the night sky, making it unobservable for a while.

M1 Visibility Timetable on December 22

Rise and Set Timetable

TimeElevation
M1 rise16:43
Sunset17:084°
Civil sunset17:4010°
Astrosession begin18:4822°
Moon Rise, 57% illuminated23:5072°
M1 transit00:0172°
Astrosession end06:1312°
M1 set07:19
Moon Set12:24-28°

Track M1 Position Throughout the Night

← Sun, 22 December 2024 →

Elevation (degrees)
Time
Altitude
Azimuth
Shift the map to change the time and observe M1 changing position in the night sky.

M1 - Crab Nebula

The Crab Nebula (M1) is a supernova remnant located in the constellation Taurus. It was first observed by John Bevis in 1731 and later included in Charles Messier's catalog in 1758 as the first entry. The nebula is the result of a supernova explosion recorded by Chinese astronomers in 1054 AD.

Spanning about 11 light-years across, the Crab Nebula is expanding at a rate of approximately 1,500 kilometers per second. At its heart lies the Crab Pulsar, a rapidly rotating neutron star that emits pulses of radiation from gamma rays to radio waves. The pulsar has a rotational period of 33 milliseconds, making it one of the fastest known pulsars.

The nebula's distinctive filamentary structure and colorful appearance are due to the presence of various elements, such as hydrogen, helium, oxygen, carbon, and sulfur. These filaments are remnants of the progenitor star's outer layers that were expelled during the supernova explosion.

Due to its relatively high brightness and well-defined structure, the Crab Nebula is a popular target for both amateur and professional astronomers. Located about 6,500 light-years from Earth, it has an apparent magnitude of 8.4, making it visible through small telescopes.

M1 Image Gallery

DSS Blue

M1 photo taken with blue filter
These images are valuable for highlighting the presence of younger, hotter stars, which emit more light in the blue wavelengths.

DSS Red

M1 photo taken with red filter
These images are excellent for detecting older, cooler stars, as well as emission nebulae, which glow primarily in the red due to hydrogen alpha emissions.

DSS Near-Infrared

M1 photo taken with Near-Infrared filter
These images can penetrate dust clouds that obscure visible light, revealing structures and objects hidden within.

DSS Composite image

M1 color image
DSS Color images are composite images created by combining the blue, red, and often near-infrared images to produce a full-color representation.

The photos are taken from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2), which was produced at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) under NASA contract, using data from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the European Southern Observatory (ESO), and the National Geographic Society-Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS II).

Special thanks to the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, and the California Institute of Technology for their significant contributions.

Finder Chart for M1

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Object nameM1
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M1 coordinates5.57555, 22.01447
Center coordinates5.57555, 22.01447

M1 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M1

Time22:54
Latitude39.9625
Longitude-83.0061
M1 elevation67°
M1 Azimuth-136°
Here you can see the current position of the M1 on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool allows you to track the M1's movement throughout the night, providing you with accurate and up-to-date information.

Annual motion of M1

Time
DateMon, 23 December 2024
Twighlight start18:48
Twighlight end06:11
Twighlight duration11h 23m
Rise16:39
Set07:15
Elevation at transit72°
Transit time23:57
Equatorial coordinateRA: 05h 34m 31s", Dec: 22° 00' 52s
Magnitude8
ConstellationTaurus
The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of a M1, providing a comprehensive overview of its daily appearances and transit times throughout the year.
The graph is structured with the vertical axis showing the hours of the day, ranging from 12 AM to 12 AM the next day, while the horizontal axis spans each day of the year.
The reddish shaded area indicates the periods when the M1 is above the horizon, visible to observers. The white line marks the times when the celestial object reaches its highest point in the sky each day, known as the transit.

Data Credits

The nebulae information on this page is sourced from the OpenNGC project, developed by Matteo Verga. OpenNGC provides detailed data on the NGC catalog, which is a valuable resource for exploring deep-sky objects such as nebulae.

For more details or to contribute to OpenNGC, visit the official GitHub repository: OpenNGC on GitHub.