In February of 1987, astronomers saw the closest supernova of modern times; it
\n\t\t\t\t\twas in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a neighboring dwarf galaxy.\u00a0 This supernova,
\n\t\t\t\t\tnamed SN 1987A, is incontrovertible proof that the collapse of the core of
\n\t\t\t\t\ta massive star can produce a supernova.\u00a0 Not only were neutrinos detected
\n\t\t\t\t\tfrom this explosion, as one expects in the birth of a neutron star from the collapse
\n\t\t\t\t\tof a stellar core, but also the star that exploded was observed many times before
\n\t\t\t\t\tthe supernova and found to be massive.\u00a0 The surprise is that the star
\n\t\t\t\t\twas a blue supergiant rather than the expected red supergiant.\u00a0 Other striking features
\n\t\t\t\t\tof this supernova are its unusual chemical composition, its high expansion velocity,
\n\t\t\t\t\tits low luminosity, and the unusual shape of its nebula.\u00a0 Some of these features are
\n\t\t\t\t\ttied to the star being a blue supergiant, while others are clues to why the star was
\n\t\t\t\t\tin a blue supergiant state when it exploded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In February of 1987, astronomers saw the closest supernova of modern times; it was in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a neighboring dwarf galaxy.\u00a0 This supernova, named SN 1987A, is incontrovertible proof that the collapse of the core of a massive … Continue reading