30 years later, supernova 1987A is still sharing secrets
When the nearby star exploded, ‘the whole world got excited’
SHINE BRIGHT Supernova 1987A shone as a brilliant point of light near the Tarantula Nebula (pink cloud) in the Large Magellanic Cloud, as pictured from an observatory in Chile.
ESO
Ian Shelton was alone at a telescope in the remote Atacama Desert of Chile. After three hours getting a picture of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a wispy galaxy that orbits the Milky Way, he was plunged into darkness.