Supernova 1987a
- RA 5:35; Dec -69:16 (Dorado)
- Type: supernova remnant
- Distance: 170,000 ly
- This is the first nearby supernova to occur since 1604. It was first seen on
the night of February 24, 1987. But it occurred not in our galaxy itself but
in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a companion to our galaxy about 170,000 light-years
away.
- Though it was not as spectacular to the naked eye as some it was an
enormous boon to science as the first nearby supernova since the invention of
the telescope. The study of this object will continue as it expands and
develops.
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