Light echoes from SN 1987A
This image, taken with NTT and EMMI in January 1992, shows light echoes from supernova SN 1987A. The light echoes are seen as two concentric rings on the interstellar matter around the exploded star. Since the outburst of SN 1987A, light echoes have been used as an efficient way of studying the structure of the interstellar medium close to the supernova. SN 1987A, detected in the nearby Large Magellanic Cloud, was the closest explosion of this kind for several centuries, the first visible by naked-eye for 383 years and definitely an event of the greatest relevance in modern astronomy. ESO telescopes have been observing this object for more than twenty years.
More information in ESO Messenger 67, p37: http://www.eso.org/sci/publications/messenger/archive/no.67-mar92/messenger-no67.pdf
Credit:ESO
About the Image
Id: | 12_sn-1987a_cc |
Type: | Observation |
Release date: | 12 March 2010, 18:51 |
Size: | 2856 x 2770 px |
About the Object
Name: | SN 1987A |
Type: | Local Universe : Star : Evolutionary Stage : Supernova |
Distance: | 170000 light years |
Category: | Stars |
Wallpapers
Colours & filters
Band | Telescope |
---|---|
Optical | New Technology Telescope EMMI |