Supernova 1987A

The European Space Agency's Faint Object Camera on board NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has provided a fascinating close-up view of Supernova 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

Since they first saw the initial explosion in February 1987, astronomers world-wide have been monitoring closely the evolution of SN 1987A using both ground-based and space instrumentation. During the three and a half years following its discovery, the supernova initially increased its brightness by a factor of 100 and has since dimmed one million times in brightness from its peak intensity. This dimming has enabled astronomers to take a closer look at the supernova proper and its surroundings.