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    SN 1987a in the Large Magellanic Cloud

    Depicts: SN 1987a, The Large Magellanic Cloud
    Copyright: Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI/NASA)

    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/ESA 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.


    Last Update: 10 Jun 2003

    • Shortcut URL
    • http://sci.esa.int/jump.cfm?oid=17147
    • Latest selection
    • Wide-field image of the Ring Nebula (ground-based image)
    • The geometry and structure of the Ring Nebula
    • The region around the Ring Nebula (Hubble/LBT composite)
    • Image Hi-Res Versions
    • Hi-Res [JPG]
      1,034.57 kb.
    • Hi-Res [TIF]
      5,899.18 kb.
    • Caption & Press Release
    • Caption
    • Press release

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