NASA’s IXPE Space Observatory Captures the Crab Nebula Like You’ve Never Seen Before

NASA’s IXPE space observatory has captured the Crab Nebula, a cosmic object located 6,500 light-years from Earth, like you’ve never seen before. Researchers used the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) to create a modulated map of the Crab Nebula’s magnetic field, revealing more of its inner workings than ever before.

The data revealed that its magnetic field resembles that of the Vela Pulsar Wind Nebula, which is shaped like a donut. Scientists were surprised to find that areas of the Crab Nebula’s magnetic field turbulence were more patchy and asymmetrical than expected. They also found areas of more polarization in the outer regions of the nebula, light-years away from the pulsar, where polarization is lower.

The orange lines highlight the shape of the magnetic field determined by IXPE. It is superimposed on a composite image made with data from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (blue and white), Hubble Space Telescope (purple), and Spitzer Space Telescope (pink),” said NASA.