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> The Tarantula Nebula and supernova 1987a in the LMC

The Tarantula Nebula and supernova 1987a in the LMC

author: Anglo-Australian Observatory/David Malin Images/Novapix

reference: a-snv01-98711

Image Size 300 DPI: 51 * 40 cm

The brightest star in this picture is the first supernova to be visible to the unaided eye for almost 400 years. It occured in a region rich in young, blue stars and it was one of these which destroyed itself. When this picture was taken, about 2 weeks after the supernova was discovered, at the end of February, 1987, the expanding shell of material had already changed from blue to orange-red as it cooled. The location of the supernova in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) means that it can only be seen from the southern hemisphere.

Keywords for this photo:

1987 - 30 DORADUS - AAO - ASTRONOMY - COMPARISON - DORADO - EMISSION NEBULA - EVOLUTION - LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD - NEBULA - POSTER - SIDING SPRING - SN 1987A - SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE - STAR - SUPERNOVA - TARENTULA - TYPE II -