Traces of the evolutionary stages of the Crab Nebula's progenitor?

Traces of the evolutionary stages of the Crab Nebula's progenitor?

Credit: Giuseppe Donatiello

doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17661106

 

In 1054—officially July 4th, but according to my sources around May 12th—the light emitted by the supernova that gave rise to M1 reached Earth.

What we observe are the remains of the star within which lies the Crab Pulsar, a compact object produced by the collapse of the iron core, a rapidly rotating neutron star approximately 15 km in size.

We know that Type II supernovae are the remains of red supergiants (at least in the majority of cases) that release matter during their evolution.

 

Is it possible that there are still traces of these dust releases?

Using the best of my imaging skills, there does indeed appear to be something around M1, and it doesn't appear to be random. Indeed, an axial structure (dashed in blue) is clearly visible at the center of a vaguely toroidal shape.

 

ED127mm f/9

 

Figure update: November 15, 2025

Done