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Supernova 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud
Glittering stars and wisps of gas create a breathtaking backdrop for the self-destruction of a massive star, called supernova 1987A, in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a nearby galaxy. Astronomers in the Southern hemisphere witnessed the brilliant explosion of this star on Feb. 23, 1987.
Shown in this NASA Hubble Space Telescope image, the supernova remnant, surrounded by inner and outer rings of material, is set in a forest of ethereal, diffuse clouds of gas. This three-color image is composed of several pictures of the supernova and its neighboring region taken with the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 in Sept. 1994, Feb. 1996 and July 1997.
The many bright blue stars nearby the supernova are massive stars, each more than six times heftier than our Sun. They are members of the same generation of stars as the star that went supernova about 12 million years ago. The presence of bright gas clouds is another sign of the youth of this region, which still appears to be a fertile breeding ground for new stars.
In a few years the supernova's fast moving material will sweep the inner ring with full force, heating and exciting its gas, and will produce a new series of cosmic fireworks that will offer a striking view for more than a decade.
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.05h 35m 28.25s
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.-69° 16' 13.0"
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Dorado
- DistanceDistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.The supernova is 51.4 kpc (168,000 light years) away. [Panagia 1999]
- DimensionsDimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.The image is 2.6 arcminutes (~130 light-years) on the vertical side.
About the Data
- Data DescriptionData DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.Principal Astronomers: R. Kirshner (Harvard/CfA), N. Panagia (STScI), M. Romaniello (ESO) and collaborators - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.HST>WFPC2
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.September 1994, February 1996, July 1997, Exposure Time: 8.3 hours
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.F439W (B), F502N ([O III]), F555W (V), F656N (H-alpha), F675W (R)
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.SN 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC)
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Supernova Remnant
- Release DateFebruary 4, 1999
- Science ReleaseSN1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud
- Credit
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Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
