The history of the Crab more closely resembles a tale of mystery and imagination than a sober scientific recital
When a leading astronomer said this ten years ago, even he could not have forecast the twists and turns in the plot of the detective story that were to follow. In the study of this one object in the sky we see reflected the whole of modern astronomy, and, in more human terms, the joy of scientists in tackling a never-ending puzzle. The story begins in the year 1054 when a Chinese astronomer saw a guest-star '- almost certainly the cataclysmic destruction of a star whose remains are now the Crab. It ends with the question: is this the death that makes life possible?
"A revealing insight into the work of the men and women who study the skies" (Daily Telegraph) "A fascinating study" (The Observer)