Messier 1 (Taurus)

Fig. 1 - A chaotic web of filaments born of a star's death: Messier 1 in Taurus, photographed with an 8-inch f/5 Newtonian reflector on a ZWO AM5 mount. The brightest star in the image is HD 37013, a double star (separation 4.2 arcseconds, mag 6.9 / mag 7.5).

Object name:	Constellation:	Coordinates:	Apparent size:	Visual brightness:
Messier 1 (= NGC 1952)	Taurus	05h35m / +22°01'	6' x 4'	8.4 mag

The supernova remnant Messier 1 (NGC 1952), commonly known as the Crab Nebula, lies in the constellation Taurus. The name 'Crab Nebula' originates from a sketch by William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, made in 1842 or 1843 with a 36-inch (91 cm) telescope. The drawing vaguely resembled a crab with extended arms. Messier 1 corresponds to a bright supernova observed worldwide 1054. The nebula is located about 6,500 light-years from Earth, spans roughly 11 light-years in diameter, and is expanding at a rate of approximately 1,500 kilometers per second (930 miles per second)

The Crab Pulsar PSR B0531+21, a neutron star with a diameter of 28-30 kilometers (17-19 miles) and a spin rate of 30.2 times per second, lies at the center of the Crab Nebula (see Fig. 2). Messier 1 was discovered by English medical doctor, electrical researcher and astronomer John Bevis in 1731 (source: Wikipedia).

Exposure time: 7h 42min (154x3min) at gain 100 and -10°C, taken on November 28, 2025 and on December 13/14, 2025. Processing with Astro Pixel Processor (APP) and Photoshop. Darks, flats, and bias were used.

Equipment: Cooled ASI 2600MC Pro camera, TeleVue Paracorr Type II coma corrector, 8" f/5 "ONTC" Newtonian telescope riding on a ZWO AM5 Strain Wave Mount, ZWO OAG-L off axis system, ASI 174MM Mini guide camera, ASIAIR Plus.

Messier 1 was also captured with a 16-inch dobsonian on an equatorial platform. The image can be seen here.

Fig. 2 - Close-up of the Crab nebula with its neutron star PSR B0531+21.

Abell21 LDN1235