M1 The Crab Nebula. In 1054, Chinese Observers reported a "guest star" that was visible even during daylight hours and observed for some 23 days. The Crab has since become one of the most studied ceslestial objects. It is a supernova remnant some 6,500 light years from Earth. At its heart is a spining neutron star--a pulsar that rotates every 0.033 seconds. A supernova typically occurs when a star some 15x larger than the sun consumes its fuel in a mere 10 million years (100x faster than the sun). It then contracts and explodes with a peak energy that can rival the host galaxy. Astrophysics 178 APO with Canon 10D. Summit County, January 2006.