Supernova 1987A: Twenty Years Since a Spectacular Explosion (Forwarded)

Megan Watzke
Chandra X-ray Center, Cambridge, Mass.
(Phone: 617/496-7998)

February 22, 2007

Supernova 1987A: Twenty Years Since a Spectacular Explosion
[http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2007/sn87a/]

February 23, 2007 marks the 20th anniversary of one of the most
spectacular events observed by astronomers in modern times, Supernova
1987A. The destruction of a massive star in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a
nearby galaxy, spawned detailed observations by many different telescopes,
including NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope. The
outburst was visible to the naked eye, and is the brightest known
supernova in almost 400 years.

This composite image shows the effects of a powerful shock wave moving
away from the explosion. Bright spots of X-ray and optical emission arise
where the shock collides with structures in the surrounding gas. These
structures were carved out by the wind from the destroyed star. Hot-spots
in the Hubble image (pink-white) now encircle Supernova 1987A like a
necklace of incandescent diamonds. The Chandra data (blue-purple) reveals
multimillion-degree gas at the location of the optical hot-spots. These
data give valuable insight into the behavior of the doomed star in the
years before it exploded.

Related Chronicle article,
http://chandra.harvard.edu/chronicle/0107/sn87a/