ESA Science & Technology - Hubble view of Supernova 1987A

This colour-composite image shows the remnant of the famous supernova 1987A as observed by the Hubble Space Telescope. SN1987A resides in the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of the dwarf galaxies orbiting the Milky Way, and it was first observed from Earth 24 years ago. At a distance of only 160 000 light years, this backyard supernova has become a 'local' laboratory for close-up studies of stellar demise.

The image shows the remnant of the supernova surrounded by rings of material that were ejected before the explosion and, on a larger scale, by diffuse clouds of gas.