Science & technology

Hubble Captures Crab Nebula Anew, 25 Years Later

Is the Crab Nebula's expansion further proof of a universe in motion or of the enduring value of long-term telescope investment?

MAR 25·Updated MAR 26

Hubble Captures Crab Nebula Anew, 25 Years Later

Story

Above: Hubble images from 1999 (L) and 2024 (R) show the Crab Nebula expanding over time. Image credit: Vortex/X

The Facts

The Hubble Space Telescope captured a new image of the Crab Nebula in 2024, 25 years after its first full observations of the supernova remnant in 1999. The Crab Nebula is the aftermath of SN 1054, located 6,500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Taurus.
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PHYS
In the 1950s, Edwin Hubble was among multiple astronomers who identified a close correlation between Chinese astronomical records of a supernova and the position of the Crab Nebula. The supernova, recorded in 1054, was so bright it remained visible in the night sky for more than a year.
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Hubble's 2024 image captured the nebula's filaments moving outward at 3.4 million miles (5.5 million kilometers) per hour. Filaments near the periphery moved more than those at the center, a result of the Crab being a pulsar wind nebula powered by synchrotron radiation rather than shockwaves.
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The 1999 Hubble image of the Crab Nebula was taken with the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2, which was replaced by the Wide Field Camera 3 during astronauts' final servicing mission to Hubble in 2009. The newer instrument offers improved resolution and a wider range of detection.
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Higher-resolution Hubble observations have helped reveal more of the Crab Nebula’s three-dimensional structure, with some filaments casting shadows on the interior’s synchrotron haze, while brighter ones cast none, indicating they lie on the far side.
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Hubble’s Crab Nebula data can be combined with other telescopes to study it across multiple wavelengths, including 2024 infrared observations from the James Webb Space Telescope, helping build a more complete picture of the supernova’s aftermath centuries later.
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Sources Split

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RIGHT

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CENTER

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The Spin

Narrative A

The Crab Nebula's ongoing expansion proves that the universe is anything but static — and Hubble's 25-year comparison makes that undeniable. Filaments racing outward at 3.4 million miles per hour, driven by synchrotron radiation from a pulsar, show a cosmic engine still roaring nearly a millennium after the explosion. And fortunately for observers, the nebula will continue evolving for millennia to come.

Universe Today

Narrative B

Hubble's return to the Crab Nebula isn't just a pretty picture — it's proof that long-term telescope investment pays off in ways no single mission can replicate. Only Hubble's unique combination of longevity and resolution could reveal filaments shifting outward over 25 years, and pairing that data with Webb's infrared observations will unlock a fuller picture of how supernovae reshape the cosmos.

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