Supernova 1987A

Supersonic Shock Wave Heats Gas Ring Around Supernova 1987A (SN1987A)

Seventeen years ago, astronomers spotted the brightest stellar explosion ever seen since the one observed by Johannes Kepler 400 years ago. Called SN 1987A, the titanic supernova explosion blazed with the power of 100,000,000 suns for several months following its discovery on...

Hubble Supernova 1987A Scrapbook (1994-2003)

Since its launch in 1990, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has watched a celestial drama unfold at a stellar demolition site. A shock wave unleashed during a stellar explosion, called Supernova 1987A (SN 1987A), has been racing toward a ring of matter encircling the blast site....

Ring Around Supernova 1987A (SN1987A) - September 24, 1994

Ring Around Supernova 1987A (SN1987A) - March 5, 1995

Ring Around Supernova 1987A (SN1987A) - February 6, 1996

Ring Around Supernova 1987A (SN1987A) - July 10, 1997

Ring Around Supernova 1987A (SN1987A) - February 6, 1998

Ring Around Supernova 1987A (SN1987A) - January 8, 1999

Ring Around Supernova 1987A (SN1987A) - April 2, 1999

Ring Around Supernova 1987A (SN1987A) - February 2, 2000

Ring Around Supernova 1987A (SN1987A) - June 16, 2000

Ring Around Supernova SN1987A - November 14, 2000

Supernova 1987A (SN1987A) - March 23, 2001

Ring Around Supernova 1987A (SN1987A) - December 7, 2001

Ring Around Supernova 1987A (SN1987A) - January 5, 2003

Ring Around Supernova 1987A (SN1987A) - August 12, 2003

Ring Around Supernova 1987A (SN1987A) - November 28, 2003

Observations of SN1987A at Different Wavelengths

Hubble's optical light observations of Supernova 1987A become even more valuable when they are combined with observations from telescopes that can measure other kinds of radiation from the exploding star. The image shows the evolving images of hot spots from the Hubble Telescope...