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Universe of the Hubble Space Telescope 2001 Calendar

Supernova 1987A is what remains of a massive star that exploded in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) on February 23, 1987. In this image, three rings of material surround the supernova. The smallest ring is centered on the supernova and is believed to be material blown away from the progenitor of the supernova. The origin of larger outer rings is not well understood. Supernova 1987A is buried in diffuse clouds of gas and dust­­the same gas and dust out of which the progenitor star was formed. Supernova 1987A is about 150,000 light years distant, making it the closest supernova to have exploded in modern times; it was the brightest supernova since Kepler's supernova of 1604 and was the first supernova visible to the naked eye since 1885.