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Multiwavelength View of Supernova 1987A (Hubble, Chandra, ALMA)

An orange central region surrounded by a necklace-like ring of green and blue-green beads within a wider purple ring.

Astronomers combined observations from three different observatories (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, red; Hubble, green; Chandra X-ray Observatory, blue) to produce this colorful, multiwavelength image of the intricate remains of Supernova 1987A.

Hubble image: NASA, ESA, and R. Kirshner (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation)
Chandra image: NASA/CXC/Penn State/K. Frank et al.
ALMA image: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO) and R. Indebetouw (NRAO/AUI/NSF)

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    05h 35m 28.03s
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    -69° 16' 11".8
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Dorado
  • Distance
    DistanceThe 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.
    Approximately 163,000 light-years (50 kiloparsecs) away
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    SN 1987A
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Supernova remnant
  • Release Date
    February 28, 2019
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Webb Telescope Will Study an Iconic Supernova
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Image: NASA, ESA, A. Angelich (NRAO, AUI, NSF)

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Details

Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

Image Credit

NASA, ESA, A. Angelich (NRAO, AUI, NSF)

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