3/25/2026 at 4:51:03 PM
For those interested, the raw images are here:2024: https://science.nasa.gov/asset/hubble/crab-nebula-2024/
1999: https://science.nasa.gov/asset/hubble/crab-nebula-1999/
by mlmonkey
3/25/2026 at 5:05:51 PM
interesting! the (1999) is a mix of old and new:"This newly processed image comes from data originally captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope in 1999 and 2000. The color assignments in this image have been matched to those used in the new 2024 data, providing a better comparison."
the original coloring (of the 1999-2000 image) is in the article, or also at https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/science/explore-the-... with some other details
by john_strinlai
3/25/2026 at 5:31:44 PM
It's frankly hard to tell much difference when put into the same color scheme. Granted, those minute changes represent MASSIVE shifts in the arrangement of matter throughout the nebula, it just doesn't look that way from this far away.by Rooster61
3/25/2026 at 6:36:08 PM
The nebula was created by a supernova that exploded about 1000 years ago, and the images were taken 25 years apart, so it's about 2.5% bigger in the newer photo.Besides the overall expansion, some of the wispy cloudy features seem to have changed more qualitatively, some of the curves have shifted shapes and positions in ways more complex than simple expansion, due to magnetic effects.
by hnuser123456