Supernova 1987A

The remnant of Supernova 1987A, located in the Large Magellanic Cloud—a neighboring dwarf galaxy approximately 160,000 light-years from Earth—appears at the center of this remarkable image. This supernova was the closest and brightest stellar explosion observed since the invention of the telescope, visible to the naked eye when it detonated in 1987. The expanding debris from the catastrophic death of a massive star has created an intricate structure of glowing gas and shock waves that continues to evolve over time. The red, gaseous clouds surrounding the remnant are dense regions of interstellar material being illuminated and compressed by the supernova's expanding blast wave, fueling a firestorm of new star formation in a cosmic cycle of stellar death and rebirth. Hubble's ongoing observations of SN 1987A provide unprecedented insights into supernova physics, shock wave dynamics, and the chemical enrichment of galaxies.