Supernova prized by astronomers begins to fade from view

The image of SN 1987A as observed by Hubble from 1995 to 2006 (Image: NASA)

STARGAZERS’ favourite explosion, a supernova known as SN 1987A, is starting to lose its lustre. It first appeared in 1987, and is prized by astronomers because it lies close enough to Earth to study in detail.

The blast’s shock wave lights up matter kicked out by the original star before it exploded. Some 15 years ago, it started colliding with 30 clumps of dense material that ring the blast site. This makes them shine like a necklace of pearls, but also destroys them, says Claes Fransson of Stockholm University, Sweden.

His team examined images from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Very Large Telescope in Atacama, Chile, taken between 1994 and 2014 and found that the pearls along 1987A’s ring have begun fading, which means the shock wave has passed through. Fransson says the ring will vanish between 2020 and 2030.

But it’s not the end for 1987A. The team also found scattered bright spots outside of the ring, suggesting the supernova is lighting up previously unseen material. Studying these clumps could reveal more about the explosion’s origins (arxiv.org/abs/1505.06669).

This article appeared in print under the headline “Famous supernova begins to fade”