The remnant of the supernova 1987A

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On February 23, 1987, the night sky over the Earth's southern hemisphere was suddenly illuminated by a new bright object - a supernova that burst forth in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small satellite galaxy orbiting the Milky Way at an astonishing distance of 168,000 light-years. This brilliant explosion, known as SN 1987A, marked the final act of a massive star's life cycle. As its expanding remnant interacts with the surrounding environment, scientists gain a unique opportunity to study the physical processes driving this cosmic event and the ultimate stages of stellar evolution. The computer model depicts the remnant in 2017, thirty years after the supernova's outburst. The blast wave is clearly visible as a transparent blue surface; shock-heated plasma glows bright red, while unshocked clumps of circumstellar material remain a deep blue.