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| Supernova remnant | |
|---|---|
 Hubble Space Telescope mosaic image assembled from 24 individual Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 exposures taken in October 1999, January 2000, and December 2000 | |
| Observation data: J2000.0 epoch | |
| Right ascension | 05h 34m 31.94s |
| Declination | +22° 00′ 52.2″ |
| Distance | 6500±1600 ly (2000±500 pc) |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | +8.4 |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 420″ × 290″ |
| Constellation | Taurus |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Radius | ~5.5 ly (~1.7 pc) |
| Absolute magnitude (V) | −3.1±0.5 |
| Notable features | Optical pulsar |
| Designations | Messier 1, NGC 1952, Taurus A, Sh2-244 |
The Crab Nebula (catalogue designations M1, NGC 1952, Taurus A) is a supernova remnant and 'pulsar wind nebula' in the constellation of Taurus. The nebula was observed by John Bevis in 1731; it corresponds to a bright supernova recorded by Chinese and Islamic astronomers in 1054. In 1840, astronomer William Parsons gave it the name it has today.
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