SN 1987A

SN 1987A was a supernova in the Large Magellanic Cloud, first observed in February 1987. Its proximity made it the closest supernova observed since telescopes were invented.

Core-collapse supernova: A stellar explosion caused by the collapse of a massive star’s core. SN 1987A was the first nearby core-collapse supernova observed in detail.
Sanduleak −69° 202: A blue supergiant star in the Large Magellanic Cloud identified as SN 1987A’s progenitor. Archival images showed this star at the supernova’s position before it exploded.
Ian Shelton: A Canadian astronomer who discovered SN 1987A while working at Las Campanas Observatory. Shelton independently recognized the supernova on the night it appeared.
SN 1987A ring system: A set of three glowing rings of gas surrounding the site of SN 1987A. The supernova’s light illuminated circumstellar rings, mapping material shed before the explosion.
Neutrino: A fundamental particle with no electric charge and a very small mass that interacts weakly with matter. Neutrinos from the explosion reached Earth before its visible light.
Blue supergiant: A hot, luminous, massive star that has evolved beyond the main sequence while retaining a blue surface temperature. SN 1987A’s progenitor was a blue supergiant, unlike the expected red supergiant.
Oscar Duhalde: A Chilean telescope operator who independently discovered SN 1987A in February 1987. Duhalde spotted the new object shortly before Shelton’s discovery.
Supernova neutrino burst: A brief influx of neutrinos produced during the collapse of a massive star’s core. Detectors registered a short burst from SN 1987A on February 23, 1987.
Neutrino astronomy: The study of astronomical objects and events through the neutrinos they emit. Detectors recorded SN 1987A neutrinos, inaugurating observations of a supernova through this messenger.
Stellar evolution: The changes in a star’s structure and properties over its lifetime. The progenitor’s path to a blue-supergiant state remains central to explaining the event.

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