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M1, the Crab Nebula, is a supernova remnant from a star that exploded in July or August of 1054 AD and was witnessed and described by Chinese astronomers as being six times brighter than Venus.

The supernova, located in the constellation of Taurus and about 7,000 light years away from the Earth, shined with the light of 400 million suns, was visible in the daytime for almost a month, and remained visible in the evening sky for more than a year.

Today, some 900 years later, we see the remains of the exploded star as a cloud of gaseous debris, illuminated by the remnants of the core of the original star, which is now a rapidly spinning neutron star called a pulsar.

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The three-dimensionality of the image is breathtaking. The yellow and orangey webby looking stuff is what's left of the actual star. The blue glow is energy being released as matter falls into the intense magnetic fields of the tiny but massive neutron star at the heart of the nebula.

Edited to add: The blurp says the supernova took place 950 years ago, but the event actually took place 7,000 plus years ago, with the light of the explosion reaching us in 1054.

[ 16 August 2006: Message edited by: Jimmy Brogan ]