Fact Sheet
Big Blast, Big Universe
Rings of light mark the spot of Supernova 1987A, a supergiant star that blew itself to bits. The supernova was first seen from Earth in February 1987. The rings appeared as a shock wave from the explosion hit bubbles of gas that had been blown into space from the star's surface long before the explosion. This is a composite of several Hubble Space Telescope images snapped in the mid 1990s. The picture shows that despite the great size and power of the explosion, it's still tiny compared to its cosmic environment. [Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI/NASA)]
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