SN 1987A

Supernovae are reasonably common - about two explode every century in a galaxy like our Milky Way. With hundreds of billions of galaxies to observe, astronomers see them on a regular basis. Usually, they’re far away, meaning astronomers can struggle to see them in detail. Astronomers were handed an astronomical gift in 1987 when a Type II supernova exploded in the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of the satellite galaxies of the Milky Way. At just 168,000 light years away, they could observe never-before-seen features of the explosion. It was the first time that astronomers were able to confirm that radioactive decay is responsible for the visible light we see from core-collapse supernovae, for example. SN 1987A was also pivotal in our understanding of the role that neutrinos play. Several hours…

You're reading a preview of

All About Space Annual (Digital) - 1 Issue, All About Space Annual (2024)

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.