Homework #7
• Q1. We see the Crab Nebula is about 1.35 parsecs
in radius and is expanding at a rate of 1400 km/s.
Extrapolate backwards in time and estimate about
when would the supernova creating the Crab
Nebula have exploded?
– Distance/rate/time problem so…
• 1.35 pc = 1400 km/s x time
• Convert pc to km: 1pc = 3.09 x 1013 km
• Time = (4.2x1013km)/(1400 km/s) = 3 x 1010 s
• Convert to years: 31.5 million seconds in a year
• Time = 950 years (if you don’t round get 920)