Messier 1 - the Crab Nebula

AKA: NGC 1952 | Sh2-244, J2000 RA: 05h34m34.94s, Dec: +22°00m37.6s, Mag: 8.4, Distance: 1932 pc, Size: 6x4 arc min, Type: SNR.

On a nice dark, clear night this supernova remnant looks spectacular at the eyepiece. This is the first item in the Messier list and is the most famous and conspicuously known supernova remnant. It is the expanding shell of gas from a star that exploded in the year 1054 AD. At the time of its explosion, it was documented by Chinese astronomers as a magnitude -6 star that was brighter than Venus!