High resolution SN 1987A by NTT

A high resolution image of supernova SN 1987A taken with the New Technology Telescope (NTT) and processed to remove the images of the supernova envelope. The inner, structured nebula is composed of a mixture of gas and dust. The outer smooth nebula, shaped like “Napoleon´s hat”, is a pure reflection nebula. The widths of the arms and the three fields of stars to the lower right are about 0.45 arcseconds across, the seeing limit at the time of the exposure. The field size is 13.5 x 12.6 arcseconds.