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Prepare to be amazed by this spectacular photo of the Crab Nebula that was created using five different telescopes

The composite image captures observations across different electromagnetic wavelengths.
The composite image captures observations across different electromagnetic wavelengths. The composite image captures observations across different electromagnetic wavelengths.

Astronomers have created a stunning new composite image of the Crab Nebula combining data from five telescopes.

The image almost covers the entire breadth of the electromagnetic spectrum, from radio to ultraviolet waves, and the result is breathtaking.

It is a product of data from five different telescopes. The Very Large Array telescope captured radio waves, seen in red, while the Spitzer Space Telescope observed infrared radiation, shown in yellow.

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The Hubble Space Telescope took pictures of visible light, which is represented in green. Ultraviolet rays, captured by the XMM-Newton, are seen in blue.

And the final piece, shown in purple, came from the Chandra X-ray Observatory which observed X-rays.

All the observations were made at nearly the same time in November 2012.

Crab Nebula.
Crab Nebula.
Electromagnetic waves observed by five telescopes were combined to create this stunning image of Crab Nebula (Gloria Dubner/XMM-Newton/Hubble/Spitzer/Chandra/VLA)

“Comparing these new images, made at different wavelengths, is providing us with a wealth of new detail about the Crab Nebula,” said Gloria Dubner, a researcher at the Institute of Astronomy and Physics.

“Though the Crab has been studied extensively for years, we still have much to learn about it.”

The Crab Nebula was first observed by Chinese astronomers in the year 1054 and first identified in 1731 by John Bevis.

Image of Crab Nebula, assembled from 24 individual exposures, that was taken with the Hubble Space Telescope in 2005.
Image of Crab Nebula, assembled from 24 individual exposures, that was taken with the Hubble Space Telescope in 2005.
Another image of Crab Nebula, assembled from 24 individual exposures, that was taken with the Hubble Space Telescope in 2005 (Nasa/Esa/Hubble)

Some 6,500 light-years from Earth in the Taurus constellation, it is the result of a bright supernova explosion.

At its centre is the Crab Pulsar, a superdense neutron star spanning 28–30 kilometres and rotating once every 33 milliseconds.

By studying the data that resulted in the composite image, astronomers hope to understand more about the star before it exploded.