Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

The Spinning Pulsar of the Crab Nebula

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for August 24, 2025 is “The Spinning Pulsar of the Crab Nebula,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: NASA : X-ray: Chandra (CXC) , Optical: Hubble (STScI) , Infrared: Spitzer (JPL-Caltech). The original explanation runs about 187 words.

he featured image shows the center of the Crab Nebula in colors mapped to Hubble, Chandra, and Spitzer space telescopes. The Crab pulsar appears in the center surrounded by a spinning disk. Please see the explanation for more detailed infor
Credit: Image Credit: NASA : X-ray: Chandra (CXC) , Optical: Hubble (STScI) , Infrared: Spitzer (JPL-Caltech) Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“At the core of the Crab Nebula lies a city-sized, magnetized neutron star spinning 30 times a second. Known as the Crab Pulsar , it is the bright spot in the center of the gaseous swirl at the nebula’s core.”

— APOD editors, August 24, 2025

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
August 24, 2025
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit: NASA : X-ray: Chandra (CXC) , Optical: Hubble (STScI) , Infrared: Spitzer (JPL-Caltech)
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 187 words

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Topics in this entry

Nebulae

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.