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The Dawn of a New Era for Supernova 1987a (2017)
Three decades ago, astronomers spotted one of the brightest exploding stars in more than 400 years. Since that first sighting, SN 1987A has continued to fascinate astronomers with its spectacular light show. To commemorate the supernova's 30th anniversary, new observations and a 3-D model are being released.
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of SN 1987A, new images, time-lapse movies, a data-based animation based on work led by Salvatore Orlando at INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo, Italy, and a three-dimensional model are being released. "The 30 years' worth of observations of SN 1987A are important because they provide insight into the last stages of stellar evolution," said Robert Kirshner of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation in Palo Alto, California. "The details of this transition will give astronomers a better understanding of the life of the doomed star, and how it ended," said Kari Frank of Penn State University who led the latest Chandra study of SN 1987A.
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