November 28
Supernova 1987A
Observed in 2003
Many bright spots glow along a ring of gas like pearls on a necklace. These cosmic "pearls" are produced as a shock wave from a supernova called SN 1987A slams into the gas ring at more than a million miles per hour. The collision heats the ring, causing it to glow.
Image credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Space Telescope