Light echoes around SN 1987A

CCD images of the double light echo around supernova SN 1987A, as observed with the ESO 3.6-metre telescope and EFOSC with a coronographic mask on 13 February 1988 (Ieft) and 16 March 1988 (right). A careful comparison shows the expansion, about 3 arcsec/month. Light echoes have been used as an efficient way of studying the structure of the interstellar medium close to the supernova. SN 1987A, detected in the nearby Large Magellanic Cloud, was the closest explosion of this kind for several centuries, the first visible by naked-eye for 383 years and definitely one of the most studied objects in modern astronomy. ESO telescopes have observed it for more than twenty years.

More information in ESO Messenger 52, p13: http://www.eso.org/sci/publications/messenger/archive/no.52-jun88/messenger-no52.pdf

Crédito:

ESO

Sobre la imagen

Identificador:15_sn-1987a_cc
Tipo:Observación
Fecha de publicación:12 de Marzo de 2010 a las 18:51
Tamaño:2339 x 1284 px

Sobre el objeto

Nombre:SN 1987A
Tipo:Local Universe : Star : Evolutionary Stage : Supernova
Distancia:170000 años luz
Categoría:Stars

Formatos de imagen

JPEG grande
745,0 KB

Colores y filtros

BandaLongitud de ondaTelescopio
Óptico
B
470 nmESO 3.6-metre telescope
EFOSC