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

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

NASA has told It is known that the IXPE satellite was launched on 9 December 2021. With its help, the information received on the Crab Nebula can reveal more of the Crab’s internal structure. The data showed that the nebula’s magnetic field 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 coming out of it. The results produced by the IXPE satellite have made it possible for researchers to investigate both the Crab Nebula and the pulsar. The findings related to the Crab Nebula were published in Nature Astronomy. These are available on preprint now.

Capturing nebulae in photographs has always been one of the aims of scientists. Last year, the 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. It is also home to the hottest and most massive stars ever discovered, according to NASA.

The Tarantula Nebula is also important because, unlike our Milky Way, new stars are being formed at a very rapid rate. 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 past of the universe.