The Crab Nebula is a thin, filamentary structure of gas and dust. It was formed after a supernova explosion in 1054 AD and was observed by Chinese astronomers.

The shared image is a combination of data from two different space telescopes: NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the European Space Agency's (ESA) Herschel Space Observatory. Hubble is a NASA project, with contributions from ESA, while Herschel is an ESA mission with support from NASA.

Hubble's image of the Crab Nebula at visible wavelengths was created with three different filters sensitive to the radiation emitted by oxygen and sulfur ions and is colored blue in this image. Herschel's far-infrared observation shows the radiation emitted by the dust in the nebula and is represented in red.

Image description:

In this image of a colorful purple nebula, an oval of complex structure extends from bottom left to top right on a black background. Curtains of glowing purple fluffy material stretch across the oval's exterior. Its inner shell shows large-scale loops of variegated pink threads, decorated with clusters and knots. Translucent thin ribbons of smoky pink extend inside the relic and become brightest towards the center.

Purple material follows different directions throughout the relic, sometimes curving sharply from specific areas within the relic. A faint, thin ring of blue material surrounds the very center of the nebula.

 

Credit: ESA/Herschel/PACS/MESS Key Program Supernova Remnant Team; NASA, ESA and Allison Loll/Jeff Hester (Arizona State University)