It was Taurus A, a star 6,500 light years distant, blowing itself to smithereens. What's left is the Crab Nebula, visible if you have a very clear night and a good set of binoculars. Err, or a space telescope:
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Celestial fireworks
On this day in 1054, Chinese astronomers observed a new star in the heavens. Its brightness waxed until it was visible not just at night but in the day as well. They recorded that the new star lingered for some months before fading away.
It was Taurus A, a star 6,500 light years distant, blowing itself to smithereens. What's left is the Crab Nebula, visible if you have a very clear night and a good set of binoculars. Err, or a space telescope:
It was Taurus A, a star 6,500 light years distant, blowing itself to smithereens. What's left is the Crab Nebula, visible if you have a very clear night and a good set of binoculars. Err, or a space telescope:
Beautiful picture, and a MASSIVE amount of force/radiation captured there!!!
ReplyDeleteNow that I'm gonna be up in the hills and away from all the light-scatter of the BayAryans, I'm gonna have to get something beefier than a spotting-scope for star gazing. And a map.
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