One Big Honkin' Star

Crab Nebula

This image was shared by Jessica Trapp. Jessica states:

The Crab Nebula. A neutron star (a spinning ball of neutrons) 28–30 km across emits pulses of radiation from gamma rays to radio waves with a spin rate of 30.2 times per second at the center. The nebula was the first astronomical object identified with a historical supernova explosion.

Observers in China and Japan recorded the supernova nearly 1,000 years ago, in 1054.