The Crab Nebula is one of the best-studied supernova remnants in the sky. It was produced by the explosive death of a massive star, observed by Chinese astronomers in 1054 CE. This explosion was bright enough to see during the daytime for weeks, and visible to the naked eye during the night for almost two years afterwards. Though no longer a naked-eye object, the Crab has been studied by a wide range of ground-based and space-based telescopes. It shines in all wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation, from long-wavelength radio to high energy gamma rays. High definition observations obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope in the optical, the Spitzer Space Telescope in the infrared, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory help us to understand how the explosion worked, and how the various leftovers interact with each other and the gas and dust around the Crab. These data have now been combined into a stunning 3-D visualization of the Crab, allowing us to fly around it as if we were physically there. The image above is a visualization derived mostly from X-ray data from Chandra, and emphasizes the high energy emission from a hot disk of material which surrounds an X-ray (and optical) pulsar, the tiny, incredibly dense neutron star remnant of the collapsed core of the exploded star. The pulsar produces wobbly jets of high-energy particles which shoot out perpendicular to the disk. Infrared and optical images help detail how powerful magnetic fields from the pulsar interact with the gas expelled in the explosion, and show the detailed distribution of chemical elements cooked up by the star (and by the explosion itself) as they're ejected into space. The Crab is an incredibly rich object for the study of what happens after stars go supernova. Be sure to take a tour.
Know the quiet place within your heart and touch the rainbow of possibility; be
alive to the gentle breeze of communication, and please stop being such a jerk. — Garrison Keillor
<<The Battle of Dan-no-ura was preceded by an immense struggle between the imperial rulers of Japan, the Taira clan (also known as the Heike), who the Heikegani crabs are named after, and the Minamoto clan (Genji), who were fighting for control of the throne at the end of the 12th century in the Genpei War (1180–1185). On the 24th of April, 1185 AD, two powerful Samurai clans fought to the death on the Dan-no-ura bay of Japan's Inland Sea. The ruling Taira clan (Heike) was led by their child-Emperor, Antoku, and his grandmother, Tokiko Taira. The Heike had ruled Japan for many decades, but now, massively outnumbered, they faced defeat at the hands of the Minamoto. During the battle, Tokiko took the seven-year-old Emperor Antoku and leaped with him into the water in the Shimonoseki Straits, drowning the child emperor, rather than allowing him to be captured by the opposing forces, and most members and generals of the Taira clan followed them in despair. Antoku came to be worshipped as Mizu-no-kami ("god of water"). This crucial battle was a cultural and political turning point in Japanese history: Minamoto Yoritomo became the first Shōgun, or military ruler, of Japan. Dan-no-ura marked the beginning of seven centuries during which Japan was ruled by warriors and Shōguns instead of Emperors and aristocrats.>>
<<The Battle of Dan-no-ura was preceded by an immense struggle between the imperial rulers of Japan, the Taira clan (also known as the Heike), who the Heikegani crabs are named after, and the Minamoto clan (Genji), who were fighting for control of the throne at the end of the 12th century in the Genpei War (1180–1185). On the 24th of April, 1185 AD, two powerful Samurai clans fought to the death on the Dan-no-ura bay of Japan's Inland Sea. The ruling Taira clan (Heike) was led by their child-Emperor, Antoku, and his grandmother, Tokiko Taira. The Heike had ruled Japan for many decades, but now, massively outnumbered, they faced defeat at the hands of the Minamoto. During the battle, Tokiko took the seven-year-old Emperor Antoku and leaped with him into the water in the Shimonoseki Straits, drowning the child emperor, rather than allowing him to be captured by the opposing forces, and most members and generals of the Taira clan followed them in despair. Antoku came to be worshipped as Mizu-no-kami ("god of water"). This crucial battle was a cultural and political turning point in Japanese history: Minamoto Yoritomo became the first Shōgun, or military ruler, of Japan. Dan-no-ura marked the beginning of seven centuries during which Japan was ruled by warriors and Shōguns instead of Emperors and aristocrats.>>
Yes, I remember this from Carl Sagan's book Cosmos.
You have a nice carapace right now too, Art. It's inscribed with the lovely number 16661.
HEAPOW: Cracking the Crab (2020 Jan 13)
