The Crab Nebula in X-rays

This Chandra X-ray Observatory image of the Crab was taken in the fall of 1999 as part of an observation by Jeff Hestor (Univ. Arizona) and collaborators. It revealed for the first time a small ring around the pulsar. Astronomers surmise that electrons accelerated by the pulsar enter the nebula at this ring, much as water in a waterfall splatters in all directions when hitting rocks at the bottom of the fall. The Chandra image also shows in higher resolution the jets and larger outer ring which had been previously discovered by ROSAT.