Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

SN1987A's Cosmic Pearls

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for February 20, 2004 is “SN1987A's Cosmic Pearls,” an image. It is credited to Credit: P. Challis, R. Kirshner ( CfA ), and B. Sugerman ( STScI ), NASA. The original explanation runs about 164 words.

SN1987A's Cosmic Pearls
Credit: P. Challis, R. Kirshner ( CfA ), and B. Sugerman ( STScI ), NASA Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“In February 1987, light from the brightest stellar explosion seen in modern times reached Earth — supernova SN1987A . This Hubble Space Telescope image from the sharp Advanced Camera for Surveys taken in November 2003 shows the explosion site over 16 years later.”

— APOD editors, February 20, 2004

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
February 20, 2004
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: P. Challis, R. Kirshner ( CfA ), and B. Sugerman ( STScI ), NASA
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 164 words

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Topics in this entry

SupernovaeHubble Space Telescope

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.