M1, known as the Crab Nebula, is one of the most famous supernova
remnants in the night sky. The supernova was first noted on July 4, 1054 by
Chinese astronomers. At its height, the supernova was about 4 times
brighter than Venus and could be seen during the day for a period of more than
three weeks.
The remnant of the this supernova was discovered in 1731 by the British
astronomer, John Bevis. Messier himself found it in 1758 while looking for
Halley's comet. He soon realized it was no comet and the Crab Nebula became
the first entry in Messier's famous catalog of celestial objects.
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