Celebrate the many 2024 Smithsonian science achievements with a beautiful image of the crab nebula. Nebulas are giant clouds of dust and gas, often forming after a massive star explodes (what astronomers call a supernova). The Crab Nebula is the result of a bright supernova explosion witnessed by Chinese and other astronomers in 1054 CE. Image: X-rays from Chandra (blue-violet and white) and IXPE (purple); optical from Hubble (red, green, and blue).
