Hubble & Spitzer Space Telescopes

This image provided by NASA Monday Nov. 23, 2009 shows the Crab Nebula that is one of the most studied objects in the sky, making it a cosmic icon. X-ray data from Chandra provide significant clues to the workings of this mighty cosmic 'generator,' which is producing energy at the rate of 100,000 suns. This composite image uses data from three of NASA's Great Observatories. The Chandra X-ray image is shown in blue, the Hubble Space Telescope optical images are in yellow and red, and the Spitzer Space Telescope's infrared image is in purple.