The Crab Nebula, Messier 1 (M1, NGC 1952), was discovered in 1731 by British amateur astronomer John Bevisis and is the most famous and conspicuous known supernova remnant, the expanding cloud of gas created in the explosion of a star as supernova which was observed in the year 1054 AD. It shines as a nebula of magnitude 8.4 near the southern "horn" of Taurus, the Bull.