The Crab Nebula The Crab Nebula is the nearest, most conspicuous and appealing supernova remnant. In 1054, a star in the constellation of Taurus exploded in a supernova (the violent death of a star) so bright that it dominated the evening sky for more than a year. (History of the Crab Nebula) The nebula consists of the material ejected in the supernova explosion, which spreads over a volume of 10 light years in diameter, and is still …showed first 75 words of 634 total…

…showed last 75 words of 634 total…is also losing energy. The Crab Nebula has been a major key in "understanding the death of massive stars and their material afterwards." (Voyages Through the Universe) I think that by studying the crab nebula and other supernovas, astronomers are able to understand what happens to exploding stars. For example, of the explosion was only 50 light years away from the Earth, astronomers believe that all living things on Earth would have died because of radiation.