What is a Crab nebula?

About Crab Nebula:

• It is situated in the Taurus constellation, a staggering 6500 light-years distant from Earth.
• It was formed as a result of a supernova and possesses a mass equivalent to two Suns.
• The discovery of the object as a nebula is attributed to the English physician and amateur astronomer John Bevis in about 1731.
• It is one of the few astronomical objects from which radiation has been detected over the entire measurable spectrum, from radio waves through infrared and visible wavelengths to ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays. 

What is Nebula?

• The word nebula is derived from Latin which means a cloud.
• A nebula is a formation in space which is constituted mostly of helium, dust, and other gases in various concentrations.
• The shape and size of a nebula vary, and as such there can be various types of formations having different sizes.
• It is believed that they are formed by the collapsing of the interstellar medium, which then comes together because of the gravitational pull of the particles.
• Some of the most popular ones are Pelican, Crab, Eagle, and Ring Nebula, with Ring being among the most observed ones on the planet.