Simeis 147, the Flying Spaghetti Monster Nebula, is a large, extremely faint, supernova remnant located on the border between the constellations of Taurus and Auriga 3 degrees east of Elnath (Beta Tauri).

Also cataloged as Sh2-240, the faint tendrils of the nebula cover more than 3 x 3 degrees of sky. At its estimated distance of 3,000 light-years, this covers 150 light-years in space.

The supernova explosion, which occurred 30,000 years ago, left behind the nebula, and at its core, a spinning neutron star known as pulsar PSR J0538+2817.

Simeis 147 was discovered by Grigori Abramovich Shajn and V.T. Hase in 1952 at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory at Simeis in the former U.S.S.R. with a 25-inch Schmidt camera on photographic plates.

A small ionized HII nebula, SH2-242 (LBN 826), is at lower left in the image.

North is to the top in the above image.

Simeis 147 Catalogs: S147, Sh2-240 Common Name: Flying Spaghetti Monster Object Type: Supernova Remnant Size: 6° x 4° Constellation: Taurus Image Field Centered At: RA: 05h 40m 42s Dec: +27° 53' 42"