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Last colour photo before the supernova explosion in LMC

Last colour photo before the supernova explosion in LMC. This colour photo of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) was obtained with a 6 x 6 camera mounted piggy-back on a large telescope at the ESO La Silla Observatory, on February 23 at UT 01:00, a few hours before the supernova exploded. It is the last colour photo obtained before this event. Comparing this photo with a similar one obtained two days later, and which shows the supernova reveals a faint star at the position of the supernova; it is the progenitor Sanduleak -69 202, a 12th magnitude B3 I star.

Credit:

ESO

About the Image

Id:eso8705d
Type:Observation
Release date:3 March 1987
Related releases:eso8705
Size:1767 x 1383 px

About the Object

Name:LMC
Type:Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Irregular
Distance:170000 light years
Category:Galaxies

Image Formats

Large JPEG
737.1 KB
Screensize JPEG
301.7 KB