Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2024 July 23 [2]A multi-colored nebula is shown that is the expanding remnant of an exploded star. The central white and purple colors show X-ray light, while the outer red and blue colors show visible light. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. The Crab Nebula from Visible to X-Ray Image Credit: [3]NASA, [4]ESA, [5]ASI, [6]Hubble, [7]Chandra, [8]IXPE Explanation: What powers the Crab Nebula? A city-sized magnetized [9]neutron star spinning around 30 times a second. Known as the [10]Crab Pulsar, it is the bright spot in the center of the gaseous swirl at the nebula's core. About 10 light-years across, the [11]spectacular picture of the [12]Crab Nebula (M1) frames a swirling central disk and complex filaments of surrounding and expanding glowing gas. The picture combines [13]visible light from the [14]Hubble Space Telescope in red and blue with [15]X-ray light from the [16]Chandra X-ray Observatory shown in white, and diffuse X-ray emission detected by [17]Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) in diffuse purple. The central [18]pulsar powers the [19]Crab Nebula's emission and [20]expansion by slightly slowing its spin rate, which drives out a [21]wind of energetic [22]electrons. The [23]featured image released today, the [24]25th Anniversary of the [25]launch of NASA's [26]flagship-class X-ray Observatory: [27]Chandra. Many Discoveries: [28]Chandra Celebrates 25th Anniversary Tomorrow's picture: spikey moon __________________________________________________________________ [29]< | [30]Archive | [31]Submissions | [32]Index | [33]Search | [34]Calendar | [35]RSS | [36]Education | [37]About APOD | [38]Discuss | [39]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [40]Robert Nemiroff ([41]MTU) & [42]Jerry Bonnell ([43]UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn [44]Specific rights apply. [45]NASA Web Privacy, [46]Accessibility, [47]Notices; A service of: [48]ASD at [49]NASA / [50]GSFC, [51]NASA Science Activation & [52]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2407/Crab_MultiChandra_4123.jpg 3. https://www.nasa.gov/ 4. https://www.esa.int/ 5. https://www.asi.it/ 6. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/ 7. https://www.nasa.gov/mission/chandra-x-ray-observatory/ 8. https://www.nasa.gov/mission/imaging-x-ray-polarimetry-explorer-ixpe/ 9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap030201.html 10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_Pulsar 11. https://i.chzbgr.com/full/9047697920/hF7BB9AC7/ 12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_Nebula 13. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/09_visiblelight/ 14. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/overview/about-hubble/ 15. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/11_xrays/ 16. https://chandra.harvard.edu/about/ 17. https://www.nasa.gov/ixpe-overview/ 18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210209.html 19. https://arxiv.org/abs/1704.02968 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230320.html 21. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellar_wind 22. https://www.aps.org/archives/publications/apsnews/200010/history.cfm 23. https://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2024/25th/more.html 24. https://chandra.harvard.edu/25th/ 25. https://youtu.be/al0Ol3rGthE 26. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_large_strategic_science_missions 27. https://chandra.harvard.edu/ 28. https://chandra.harvard.edu/press/24_releases/press_072224.html 29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240722.html 30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 33. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 35. https://apod.com/feed.rss 36. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 37. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 38. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=240723 39. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240724.html 40. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 41. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 42. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 43. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 44. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 45. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 46. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/ 47. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/ 48. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 49. https://www.nasa.gov/ 50. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 51. https://science.nasa.gov/learners 52. http://www.mtu.edu/