SN 1987A
SN 1987A was a type II supernova in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. It occurred approximately 51.4 kiloparsecs (168,000 light-years) from Earth and was the closest observed supernova since Kepler's Supernova in 1604. Light and neutrinos from the explosion reached Earth on February 23, 1987; as the first supernova discovered that year, it was designated "SN 1987A". Its brightness peaked in May of that year, with an apparent magnitude of about 3.
Supernova 1987A is the bright star at the centre of the image, near the Tarantula nebula. | |
| Event type | Supernova |
|---|---|
| Type II (peculiar) | |
| Date | February 24, 1987 (23:00 UTC) Las Campanas Observatory |
| Constellation | Dorado |
| Right ascension | 05h 35m 28.03s |
| Declination | −69° 16′ 11.79″ |
| Epoch | J2000 |
| Galactic coordinates | G279.7-31.9 |
| Distance | 51.4 kpc (168,000 ly) |
| Host | Large Magellanic Cloud |
| Progenitor | Sanduleak -69 202 |
| Progenitor type | B3 supergiant |
| Colour (B-V) | +0.085 |
| Notable features | Closest recorded supernova since invention of telescope |
| Peak apparent magnitude | +2.9 |
| Other designations | SN 1987A, AAVSO 0534-69, INTREF 262, SNR 1987A, SNR B0535-69.3, [BMD2010] SNR J0535.5-6916 |
| Related media on Commons | |
It was the first supernova that modern astronomers were able to study in great detail, and its observations have provided much insight into core-collapse supernovae. SN 1987A provided the first opportunity to confirm by direct observation the radioactive source of the energy for visible light emissions, by detecting predicted gamma-ray line radiation from two of its abundant radioactive nuclei. This proved the radioactive nature of the long-duration post-explosion glow of supernovae.
For over thirty years, the expected collapsed neutron star could not be found, but in 2019, indirect evidence for its presence was found with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array telescope, with further evidence found in 2021 using the Chandra and NuSTAR X-ray telescopes.