Crab Pulsar size and scale context

The Crab Pulsar is the neutron-star core left behind by the explosion that also created the [Crab Nebula](crab-nebula). It spins about 30 times each second, and its magnetic engine drives much of the nebula’s glow by pouring particles and radiation into the surrounding wreckage. Read its scale context, comparisons, and journey links on the canonical object page.

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Between the smallest and the largest, perspective is everything.

About

Scale of Space is a scroll-based journey through the universe, placing objects on a single logarithmic scale so you can compare size across an unbroken range.

Guides turn parts of that scale into curated essays, while focused views let you explore the same range through specific groups of objects.

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Planets of the Solar System Stars of the Universe Black holes Subatomic scale

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Between the smallest and the largest, perspective is everything.

About

Scale of Space is a scroll-based journey through the universe, placing objects on a single logarithmic scale so you can compare size across an unbroken range.

Guides turn parts of that scale into curated essays, while focused views let you explore the same range through specific groups of objects.

Editorial

Solar System Planets From Electron to Atoms Stars To Scale Birth And Death Of Stars Black Holes To Scale

Views

Planets of the Solar System Stars of the Universe Black holes Subatomic scale

Return to Earth hello@scaleofspace.org

Comets

67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko

67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko is the comet nucleus studied in unrivaled detail by ESA’s Rosetta mission. Rosetta detected molecular oxygen streaming from the comet, a surprising result that suggests some of its ice preserves very early Solar System chemistry.

Scale fact6 kmmaximum extent

Object class: Comet nucleus
Mass: ~10 billion tonnes
Host: Solar System
Estimated age: ~4.5 billion years
Composition: Water ice, dust, frozen volatiles

Stellar remnants

Crab Pulsar

The Crab Pulsar is the neutron-star core left behind by the explosion that also created the Crab Nebula. It spins about 30 times each second, and its magnetic engine drives much of the nebula’s glow by pouring particles and radiation into the surrounding wreckage.

Scale fact20 kmdiameter

Object class: Pulsar
Mass: ~1.4 solar masses
Host: Crab Nebula
Estimated age: ~970 years
Composition: Neutron-degenerate matter

Asteroids

Eros

Eros is an elongated near-Earth asteroid explored by NASA’s NEAR Shoemaker mission. NEAR became the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid and then survive a touchdown on one, turning Eros into a milestone in asteroid exploration.

Scale fact34 kmmaximum extent

Object class: S-type near-Earth asteroid
Mass: ~6.7 trillion tonnes
Estimated age: ~4.5 billion years
Composition: Silicate rock with metal