A Quick Look at Supernova 1987A

Object Details

Views

7,416

Video Title

A Quick Look at Supernova 1987A

Description

On February 24, 1987, astronomers in the southern hemisphere saw a supernova in the Large Magellanic Cloud. This new object was dubbed “Supernova 1987A” and was the brightest stellar explosion seen in over four centuries. Chandra has observed Supernova 1987A many times and the X-ray data reveal important information about this object. X-rays from Chandra have shown the expanding blast wave from the original explosion slamming into a ring of material expelled by the star before it exploded. The latest Chandra data reveal the blast wave has moved beyond the ring into a region that astronomers do not know much about. These observations can help astronomers learn how supernovas impact their environments and affect future generations of stars and planets.

Video Duration

1 min 6 sec

YouTube Keywords

astronomy space telescope astrophysics science

Data Source

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

YouTube Channel

cxcpub

Uploaded

2017-02-24T15:00:02.000Z

Creator

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

Type

YouTube Videos

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cxcpub

YouTube Category

Science & Technology

Topic

Astronomy

Record ID

yt_1y7YBLHPm4U

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Usage conditions apply