NASA’s IXPE satellite creates detailed map of the Crab Nebula Magnetic Field

The Crab Nebula, located 6500 light-years away from Earth, has been the subject of research by scientists for years. A huge shape in space made of gas and dust is called a nebula. The dust and gas in the Crab Nebula appear as if they have crab legs, that is why it is called the Crab Nebula. Now the American space agency NASA has prepared a detailed map of the magnetic field of the Crab Nebula. It has been prepared by NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE).

NASA has told The IXPE satellite was launched on 9 December 2021. With its help, the information obtained on the Crab Nebula can reveal more about the internal structure of the Crab. The data showed that the magnetic field of the nebula is similar to that of the Vela Pulsar Wind Nebula. It is donut shaped. Regarding the Crab Nebula, researchers have found that high-energy gamma rays are emanating from it. The results produced by the IXPE satellite have made it possible for researchers to investigate both the Crab Nebula and pulsars. The findings related to the Crab Nebula were published in Nature Astronomy. These are available in preprint now.

Capturing nebulae in photographs has always been an objective of scientists. Last year, ‘James Webb Space Telescope’ captured an image of the Tarantula Nebula. This nebula is also called ’30 Doradus’, which is the nursery of stars. 161,000 light-years away, the Tarantula Nebula is the largest and brightest star-forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy. This galaxy is close to our Milky Way. According to NASA, it is also home to the hottest and most massive stars ever discovered.

The Tarantula Nebula is also important because, unlike our galaxy, new stars are being formed here very rapidly. According to NASA, this region is close to our galaxy, so it is easy to study in detail to help us learn more about the universe’s past.