The Evolution of Supernova Remnant SN 1987A (1994-2016) | Hubble
Almost four decades ago, astronomers spotted one of the brightest supernovae in more than 400 years. The stellar explosion, SN 1987A, located 168,000 light-years away in the neighboring Large Magellanic Cloud dwarf galaxy, blazed with the power of 100 million suns for several months after its discovery on February 23, 1987. SN 1987A was the nearest supernova explosion observed in centuries and it quickly became the best studied supernova of all time. Over the last thirty-nine years, detailed follow-up observations with telescopes in space and on the ground have allowed astronomers to study the death throes of a massive star in unprecedented detail, from star to supernova to supernova remnant, changing our understanding of these explosive events.
The images show its evolution between 1994 and 2016, and highlight the main ring that blazes around the exploded star.
By observing the expanding remnant material over the years, Hubble has helped to show that the material within the ring was likely ejected 20,000 years before the actual explosion took place.
The initial burst of light from the supernova initially illuminated the rings. They slowly faded over the first decade after the explosion, until a fast-moving shell of gas ejected during the supernova slammed into the central ring, sending a powerful shockwave through the gas, heating it to searing temperatures and generating strong X-ray emission.
This caused clumps of denser gas within the ring to light up like a string of pearls, seen as the increasing number of bright spots, which are now fading again.
As the shock wave continues to move through the shells ejected by the dying star in its final throes of life, who knows what new details will be revealed?
Release Dates: Feb. 22, 2007 and Feb. 27, 2017
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