The Crab Reveals Its Secrets To JWST

The Crab Nebula – otherwise known as the first object on Charles Messier’s list of non-cometary objects or M1 for short – has never really failed to visually underwhelm me! I have spent countless hours hunting down this example of a supernova remnant and found myself wondering why I have bothered. Yet here I am, after decades of looking at it, and I still find it one of the most intriguing objects in the sky.

Never has this interest been piqued more than right now after another mirror-smashing beauty of an image from the James Webb Space Telescope, and it’s already found its way to my mobile phone wallpaper!

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb telescope was launched back in December 2021, and from its position 1.5 million km away, it orbits the Sun, giving us a brand new window out into the Universe. Using its Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCAM) and the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) JWST has been exploring the Crab Nebula, the remains of a star whose explosion was recorded back in 1054. The object, which is 6,500 light years away, can be seen in small amateur telescopes and is without doubt one of the most studied supernova remnants of all.