New Supernova Remnant Lights Up
Using
the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers are witnessing the
unprecedented transition of a supernova to a supernova remnant, where
light from an exploding star in a neighboring galaxy, the Large
Magellanic Cloud, reached Earth in February 1987. Named Supernova 1987A,
it was the closest supernova explosion witnessed in almost 400 years.
The supernova's close proximity to Earth allows astronomers to study it
in detail as it evolves. Now, the supernova debris, which has faded over
the years, is brightening. This means that a different power source has
begun to light the debris. The debris of SN 1987A is beginning to
impact the surrounding ring, creating powerful shock waves that generate
X-rays observed with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. Those X-rays are
illuminating the supernova debris and shock heating is making it glow
in visible light. Since its launch in 1990, the Hubble telescope has
provided a continuous record of the changes in SN 1987A.
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